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The Greatest Writers of All Time #23
Homer: The Complete Epic Poems
This book, newly updated, contains now several HTML tables of contents that will make reading a real pleasure!The first table of contents (at the very beginning of the ebook) lists the titles of all novels included in this volume. By clicking on one of those titles you will be redirected to the beginning of that work, where you'll find a new TOC that lists all the chapters and sub-chapters of that specific work.Here you will find the complete epic poems of Homer in the chronological order of their original publication.- The Iliad- The Odyssey
341 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 18, 2020
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103 people want to read
About the author
Homer
4,758 books7,133 followersHomer (Greek: Όμηρος born c. 8th century BC) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the most revered and influential authors in history.
Homer's Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally. Despite being predominantly known for its tragic and serious themes, the Homeric poems also contain instances of comedy and laughter.
Homer's epic poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor. To Plato, Homer was simply the one who "has taught Greece" (τὴν Ἑλλάδα πεπαίδευκεν). In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Virgil refers to Homer as "Poet sovereign", king of all poets; in the preface to his translation of the Iliad, Alexander Pope acknowledges that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets". From antiquity to the present day, Homeric epics have inspired many famous works of literature, music, art, and film.
The question of by whom, when, where and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars remain divided as to whether the two works are the product of a single author. It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BC. Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity; the most widespread account was that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.
French: Homère, Italian: Omero, Portuguese, Spanish: Homero.
Homer's Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally. Despite being predominantly known for its tragic and serious themes, the Homeric poems also contain instances of comedy and laughter.
Homer's epic poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor. To Plato, Homer was simply the one who "has taught Greece" (τὴν Ἑλλάδα πεπαίδευκεν). In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Virgil refers to Homer as "Poet sovereign", king of all poets; in the preface to his translation of the Iliad, Alexander Pope acknowledges that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets". From antiquity to the present day, Homeric epics have inspired many famous works of literature, music, art, and film.
The question of by whom, when, where and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars remain divided as to whether the two works are the product of a single author. It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BC. Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity; the most widespread account was that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.
French: Homère, Italian: Omero, Portuguese, Spanish: Homero.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 3, 2018
First the technical.
I am pretty confident that this was an OCR scan of the text. There were a number of odd spelling errors that you find in OCR scans.
Second, the text itself.
This is a prose not poetic translation. So it reads as a story. Which makes it easier to read but misses the flavor of the original.
Finally, the story itself.
Ugh. It was hard to identify with any of the characters. But two of the great protagonists, Achilles, and Agamemnon, are especially off-putting with their vain arrogance.
The glorification of bloodshed gets tedious after awhile.
At its best the story helps to explain the Greek world. One where men, in many ways, are but puppets of the gods. Yes, humans plan and strive but at the whim of Zeus or Hera, those plans are put to not. It struck me as a fatalistic theology.
I am uncertain as to whether it paints selfish as bad. Achilles companion Patroclus dies because of Achilles stubbornness, as do many other Greeks. Yet the note of disapproval is lost in the honoring of his prowess in war.
In the end, I'm glad I read it. It is one of the foundational texts of Western civilization. And it helps to explain the roots of our culture's fascination with "the great man". The heroic figure who prizes glory above life itself. Of course, that is more a human condition than just a "greek" idea.
I am pretty confident that this was an OCR scan of the text. There were a number of odd spelling errors that you find in OCR scans.
Second, the text itself.
This is a prose not poetic translation. So it reads as a story. Which makes it easier to read but misses the flavor of the original.
Finally, the story itself.
Ugh. It was hard to identify with any of the characters. But two of the great protagonists, Achilles, and Agamemnon, are especially off-putting with their vain arrogance.
The glorification of bloodshed gets tedious after awhile.
At its best the story helps to explain the Greek world. One where men, in many ways, are but puppets of the gods. Yes, humans plan and strive but at the whim of Zeus or Hera, those plans are put to not. It struck me as a fatalistic theology.
I am uncertain as to whether it paints selfish as bad. Achilles companion Patroclus dies because of Achilles stubbornness, as do many other Greeks. Yet the note of disapproval is lost in the honoring of his prowess in war.
In the end, I'm glad I read it. It is one of the foundational texts of Western civilization. And it helps to explain the roots of our culture's fascination with "the great man". The heroic figure who prizes glory above life itself. Of course, that is more a human condition than just a "greek" idea.
Displaying 1 of 1 review