The Iliad

By: Homer, Richmond Lattimore - translator

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

Length: 22 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

The Iliad is one of the most enduring creations of Western Civilization and was originally written to be recited or chanted to the accompaniment of various instruments. Properly performed, this work today is just as meaningful, just as powerful, and just as entertaining as it was in the ninth century BC, and it casts its spell upon modern listeners with the same raw intensity as it did upon the people of ancient times.

As you listen to this great work, you feel yourself to be in the presence of a grandeur that suffuses the very air. There is no question that the poet, whether his name was Homer or not, was one of the supreme artists of all time and all civilizations. But this wonderful piece of poetry is not merely a catalog of events of the Trojan War. Specifically, the poem deals with the bitter dispute between Achilles and Agamemnon, and how the Greeks were almost destroyed by their hubris. Hovering about, the Olympian gods watch the unfolding events with keen interest, sometimes lending help and encouragement on one hand, or spreading fear and hatred on the other.

The Iliad is ultimately about the free will of man and his ability or failure to make rational choices in the face of conflict and chaos. Unlike the gods, men must face death, which gives their decisions a spiritual meaning which is absent on Olympus. The great legacy of The Iliad is its shattering revelation of what it means to be human in the face of life's uncertainty and fleeting mortality.

Public Domain (P)2008 Audio Connoisseur

Great audio book, poor editting

I regret not having addressed The Iliad until now. It is indeed a classic of literature and despite its age remains strongly engaging. However, if one's only understanding of the story is from popular film and television, one might have false expectations as to the story that The Iliad really tells. It's not about the Trojan War. That's just the backdrop. While details of the war are described and are important, what it really focuses on is Achilles' anger and its consequences. Achilles is the only character with an arc, despite large portions of the story not being directly about him.

The Iliad is also a great view back into ancient Greek sensibilities. What struck me most was the use of the word "evil." The story features no evil characters. Evil is never described as a human trait or even as a cosmic trait. Evil is what people do. Save for the mortal women, all characters, Gods and human men alike, commit "evils" against someone. Killing is evil as is death. Cheating and beguiling are evil, but simply committing any of these acts does not make anyone wicked. Indeed, all characters both love and are loved, support their comrades and families, and have some measure of nobility to them.

Charlton Griffin's performance was great. His voice has a sufficiently broad range to cover each any every character without difficulty and he certainly knows how to do that. My first exposure to his voice was through Paradise Lost, though that book had far fewer characters.

What stops me from giving this audio book a perfect rating is the editing -- which is horrible. There are inexplicably long pauses between segments and the volume changes at random. I eventually learned to reach for the volume knob on my car stereo at the end of each section, setting it to some neutral level. Else I would have either had to strain to hear or be startled by the volume. Had I been listening with headphones, I'd have taken off another star at least.

Thus, if you have a volume control easily at hand, I would definitely recommend this title. It has been described by many as "Bible" of Greek mythology. It's not quite that, as it covers only a limited number of Greek gods and other mythological figures, but of those it covers it describes them well and makes perfectly clear the relationship mortal men had with them.

Loved the actor reading this.

Loved it! Charlton Griffen' s performance superbly narrates the story making the characters come to life.

Liked translation; performance inconsistent

I like Richmond Lattimore’s translation of The Iliad. However, I found the narrator’s performance inconsistent: his performance of the female voice is altogether hideous and irritating.

Classic

I was initially confused at the mispronunciation of certain words but upon reading the actual book noticed that it’s the text itself that was translated strangely, and not a misreading of the text. Wonderful performance all around and a classic that should be read or listened to by all.

Wonderful

I've wanted to read the Iliad for years. Now in my old age I get to listen to it. It was worth the wait. I'm so glad I listened to it, it was great.

The narrator extremely talented.

I wish that they had a female narrator for the female roles. It would of been incredible to have two narrators.

I would not be able to read The Iliad without this …

The Iliad is very musical and this audible version simply deliver and the only issue I have is the sound performance around female characters especailly when you play above 1.2x speed, they sounds too artificial. I ususally have no problem with male narrator doing female roles but somehow I feel this one is a bit off. Since this is a very mascline dominace poem so this issue is not that serious, however, I wish they find other female narranation.

This is a wow

Minus 1 star for the goofy "music" intros.

Amazing.

Amazing! I'm going out of my way to listen to Griffin from now on.

Charlton Griffin of the Great War Cry

If you could sum up The Iliad in three words, what would they be?

Intellectual, historic, classic

What other book might you compare The Iliad to and why?

The Odyssey is the obvious choice here, but for those who have not read Homer, it has traces of a Shakespearean sound with powerful descriptive vocabulary, but a more adventurous feel. Great for getting a feel for Greek mythology.

What about Charlton Griffin’s performance did you like?

He was incredible. This is not an easy book to read, and he was very articulate, even with difficult Grecian names. Very dynamic and clear, and even did a good job with the female voices.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

24 hours? No chance. I listened to this on the way to and from work though, and I really enjoyed it.