homer's iliad and odyssey the essential books

Even moments that previously caused consternation more often then not ring true. Yet, when performed by L., his translations crackle with life, possessing a compelling force and a surprising grace. Over time I had come to internalize their judgments to a certain degree. My students, coming to the text with an expectation of epic grandeur, often expressed disappointment with the register of L.’s translation.

Although I have assigned L.’s translations in several courses, student response has never been as enthusiastic as I hoped or expected. Although not without their quirks, these recordings have much to offer enthusiasts and instructors alike.īefore continuing, I should confess to a slight bias.

With an apt updating of Pope’s famous dictum that “Homer makes us hearers”, the tagline on these recordings-”Homer Speaks…Listen Up!”-ably captures the colloquial vigor of L.’s translations and the importance of performance in approaching the Homeric texts. 2 Each of these recordings follows the text-and in the case of the “Essential” recordings, the selections-of L.’s translations. 1 Happily this milestone has been appropriately commemorated by the release of high-quality recordings of Lombardo performing his Iliad, Odyssey, The Essential Iliad, and The Essential Homer. As someone who almost reflexively refers to Stanley Lombardo’s translations of Homer as “new”, it gives me pause to think that this year marks the tenth anniversary of his translation of the Iliad.

Homer's iliad and odyssey the essential books