Alexander Pope's beautiful verse translation of the Ancient Greek epic of the Trojan War. One of the oldest surviving works in Western literature, Homer's epic poem has captivated readers for millennia. Set at the end of the Greeks' decade-long siege of Troy, it centers on a quarrel between the Greek King Agamemnon and his greatest asset in battle, the warrior Achilles. From this conflict between two great men, The Iliad weaves a tale of warring nations, vengeful gods, plagues, betrayals, and the terrible consequences of prideful rage.
"Many consider [Pope's translation] the greatest English Iliad. . . . It manages to convey not only the stateliness and grandeur of Homer's lines, but their speed and wit and vividness."
The New Yorker
"Pope worked miracles. . . This is a poem you can live your way into, over the years, since it yields more at every encounter."
