The Iliad

2024 Audie Award Winner for Literary Fiction & Classics

When Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey appeared in 2017―rendering the ancient poem in contemporary language that was “fresh, unpretentious and lean” (Madeline Miller, Washington Post)―critics lauded it as “a revelation” (Susan Chira, New York Times) and “a cultural landmark” (Charlotte Higgins, Guardian) that would forever change how Homer is read in English. Now Wilson has returned with an equally revelatory translation of Homer’s other great epic―the most revered war poem of all time.

Brought to life in vivid audio form, this crisp verse translation of The Iliad roars with the clamor of arms, the bellowing boasts of victors, the fury and grief of loss, and the anguished cries of dying men. It sings, too, of the sublime magnitude of the world―the fierce beauty of nature and deities’ grand schemes beyond the ken of mortals.

Wilson’s musical iambic pentameter verse is brought to life in the evocative voice of narrator and Broadway legend Audra McDonald. In her thrilling reading, this magical and often horrifying tale gallops at a pace befitting its legendary battle scenes. The culmination of a decade of intense engagement with antiquity’s most surpassingly beautiful and emotionally complex poetry, Wilson’s Iliad now gives us a complete Homer for our generation.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Emily Wilson (Translation) (P)2023 Audible, Inc.

Emily Wilson’s Time Machine

I’m not an academic, and I only have a glancing exposure to classical Greek literature. That said, I found listening to this work to be a remarkable life experience that I am grateful I didn’t bypass. Each time I started to listen I was transported to the time when this and other stories like it were created. I found Emily Wilson‘s translation approachable, and simultaneously instructive. Her translation feels like an authentic retelling of a story transmitted across millennia. Audra McDonald’s reading helped me become like the people who heard this story during its creation. While listening, I believed every word as if it were gospel instead of a blending of historical fiction and mythology. Until I listened to this version I didn’t realize how false everything else I’d ever read, watched, or heard about The Iliad felt.

Listen carefully to the lengthy introduction. That alone will add a couple of points to your IQ. When it’s finished, you’ll be ready to step into Emily Wilson‘s time machine.

Accessible, Beautiful Translation and Performance

This has been a book that I have had trouble reading. This new translation and the wonderful audio performance made it so entertaining. I highly recommend you give this a try.

Love this translation and oration

Emily Wilson's Excellent translation of this epic classical text had a great sound. Loved Audra's reading and the use of iambic pentameter. It is inspired and inspiring.

So touching!

Actually better when read. You appreciate the vocal elements of the poetry. Excellent translation and excellent performance

Amazing!

Audra McDonald was an amazing narrator, I enjoyed listening to this so much! Also, the Iliad was meant to be read aloud!!! Great translation, too!