A stunning Penguin clothbound edition of Homer`s great epic, in E. V. Rieu`s classic translation. The Iliad is the first & the greatest literary achievement of Greek civilization
- an epic poem without rival in the literature of the world, & the cornerstone of Western culture. The story centres on the critical events in the last year of the Trojan War, which lead to Achilleus` killing of Hektor & determine the fate of Troy. But Homer`s theme is not simply war or heroism. With compassion & humanity, he presents a universal & tragic view of the world, of human life lived under the shadow of suffering & death, set against a vast & largely unpitying divine background.. Seven Greek cities claim the honour of being the birthplace of Homer (c. 8th-7th century BC), the poet to whom the composition of the Iliadand Odyssey are attributed. The Iliad is the oldest surviving work of Western literature, but the identity
- or even the existence
- of Homer himself is a complete mystery, with no reliable biographical information having survived.E. V. Rieu initiated Penguin Classics with Allen Lane & his famous translation of the Odyssey was the first book published in the series in 1947. The Iliad followed in 1950.