The Iliad

The epic classical poem of the Trojan War, now in an updated prose translation from the original Greek.

“Blakely’s translation is fluent and accurate. . . . It has an elegance and loftiness. . . . If I were a teacher, I would very much be inclined to use it as a text.” —Charles Rowan Beye, distinguished professor of classics emeritus at the City University of New York

One of the most important and influential works of the Western Canon, The Iliad has long been a favorite of scholars and laypeople, embraced by famed artists from Shakespeare to Brad Pitt.

The Iliad opens in the late stages of the Trojan War, and, with reflection on prior battles, follows through the sacking of Troy and the Greeks' bitter victory. Spanning the defeats, allegiances, victories, and vengeances of mortals and Gods alike, this epic poem of the ages still manages to be intensely relevant to modern readers. The major thematic thrusts (glory, honor, wrath, and fate) are both the stuff of legend and part of our ongoing experience.

Now, in an updated prose translation from the original Greek, Blakely focuses his Iliad on the gripping heroics of Achilles and Patroclus, recounting a relatable tale of angry young men striving for glory, trapped by fate into prescribed warrior roles.

“Blakely . . .[has] spent more hours with The Iliad for the love of it than most scholars of classics will in their lifetimes, and he [has] in the process developed a profound and deeply personal relationship with the poem. . . . Now, with this translation, Blakely invites his readers to cultivate a like intimacy with the work, a relationship of profound reward that will serve for years to come.” —Keyne Chesire, associate professor and chair of classics at Davidson College