I never really read the Iliad, but, hey, Troy was pretty all right, sort of, and I read a lot, so I figured I’d check it out.
I’m kind of surprised by the pages and pages of descriptions of ludicrously gory death and dismemberment. It seems ironic to me that the same people who are out there campaigning against the violence in modern movies and television probably have something like the Iliad in mind as more suitable entertainment.
I started out reading the Butler version, as it’s the best of several public domain versions available online (most notably at the most excellect Project Gutenberg), but I found a new, and eminently readable, new translation, which I’ve read for the last couple of books and am growing rather fond of. It’s by Ian Johnston, a research associate at Malaspina University-College in British Colombia. Thanks Ian!
