Read This Book…

“You already know the story. You will die. Everyone you love will also die. You will be sad and angry. You will weep. You will bargain. You will make demands. You will beg. You will pray. It will make no difference. Nothing you can do will bring them back. You know this. Your knowing changes nothing. This poem will make you understand unfathomable truth again and again, as if for the very first time.” 

This is how Emily Wilson ends her introduction to her translation of The Iliad. Her words speak the universal qualities that have made The Iliad the classic as we know it today. But how it’s been translated in the past, that’s another story.

I was first introduced to Emily Wilson’s work with her translation of The Odyssey, which was the first translation of The Odyssey outside of academia. Her work on The Odyssey has stayed with me through the years, so of course, when I saw she had a translation of The Iliad coming out this fall, I had to get my hands on it.

While Wilson is not the first woman to translate The Iliad, she still brings a unique perspective to the work. Her Iliad is sweeping, poetic, and incredibly vibrant. The fates of gods and men war both on the ground and in the heavens above. Men weep. Women fall silent with terror at the future they know is inevitable.

In Wilson’s translator’s note in the beginning, she describes how The Iliad was intended to be performed out loud, and she strived to ensure that the English edition maintained that same musical quality in its sound and rhythm. This is even more apparent in the audiobook, which is performed by Audra McDonald, one of the most decorated stage actors of our time. McDonald’s performance is magnificent. While I listened, I felt as if I was experiencing The Iliad as it was meant to be. McDonald creates a truly incredible listening experience, one I will definitely be revisiting again.