The Iliad Audiobook By Homer, Stephen Mitchell - translator cover art

The Iliad

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection of titles.
Yours as long as you’re a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for $8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Iliad

By: Homer, Stephen Mitchell - translator
Narrated by: Alfred Molina
Try Standard free

$8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $22.49

Buy for $22.49

From the renowned translator of Rilke, Tao Te Ching, and Gilgamesh, a vivid new translation of Western civilization’s foundational epic: The Iliad.

Tolstoy called the Iliad a miracle; Goethe said that it always thrust him into a state of astonishment. Homer’s story is thrilling, and his Greek is perhaps the most beautiful poetry ever sung or written. But until now, even the best English translations haven’t been able to re-create the energy and simplicity, the speed, grace, and pulsing rhythm of the original. Now, thanks to the power of Stephen Mitchell’s language, the Iliad’s ancient story comes to moving, vivid new life, and we are carried along by a poetry that lifts even the most devastating human events into the realm of the beautiful.

Mitchell’s Iliad is also the first translation based on the work of the preeminent Homeric scholar Martin L. West, whose edition of the original Greek identifies many passages that were added after the Iliad was first written down, to the detriment of the music and the story. Omitting these hundreds of interpolated lines restores a dramatically sharper, leaner text. In addition, Mitchell’s illuminating introduction opens the epic still further to our understanding and appreciation. Ancient, Classical & Medieval Literature Ancient Greece Epic Classics Themes & Styles Ancient History Poetry Greece Collections Literary History & Criticism Inspiring

People who viewed this also viewed...

The Iliad Audiobook By Homer, E. V. Rieu - translator, D. C. H. Rieu - translator, Peter Jones - translator cover art
The Iliad By: Homer, and others
The Iliad Audiobook By Homer, Bernard Knox, Bernard Knox - introduction, Robert Fagles - translator cover art
The Iliad By: Homer, and others
Homer Box Set: Iliad & Odyssey Audiobook By Homer, W. H. D. Rouse - translator cover art
Homer Box Set: Iliad & Odyssey By: Homer, and others
The Iliad & the Odyssey Audiobook By Homer cover art
The Iliad & the Odyssey By: Homer
The Iliad & the Odyssey Audiobook By Homer cover art
The Iliad & the Odyssey By: Homer
The Iliad of Homer Audiobook By Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses cover art
The Iliad of Homer By: Elizabeth Vandiver, and others
The Iliad Audiobook By Homer, Richmond Lattimore - translator cover art
The Iliad By: Homer, and others
Homer: The Ultimate Collection Audiobook By Homer cover art
Homer: The Ultimate Collection By: Homer
The Iliad Audiobook By Homer, Samuel Butler - translator cover art
The Iliad By: Homer, and others
The Iliad Audiobook By Homer, Edward Earl of Derby - translator cover art
The Iliad By: Homer, and others
The Odyssey Audiobook By Homer, Daniel Mendelsohn - translator cover art
The Odyssey By: Homer, and others
The Aeneid Audiobook By Vergil cover art
The Aeneid By: Vergil
The Iliad Audiobook By Homer, Ian Johnston - translator cover art
The Iliad By: Homer, and others
The Iliad Audiobook By Homer, Alexander Pope - translator cover art
The Iliad By: Homer, and others
The Oresteia Audiobook By Aeschylus cover art
The Oresteia By: Aeschylus
Gilgamesh Audiobook By Stephen Mitchell - translator cover art
Gilgamesh By: Stephen Mitchell - translator
The Iliad Audiobook By Homer, Stephen Mitchell - translator cover art
The Iliad By: Homer, and others
Metamorphoses Audiobook By Ovid, Denis Feeney - introduction, David Raeburn - translator cover art
Metamorphoses By: Ovid, and others
Timeless Epic • Poetic Imagery • Masterful Narration • Heroic Ideals • Accessible Translation • Vivid Battle Scenes

Highly rated for:

All stars
Most relevant
Mitchell's translation conveys beauty and depth; Molina's narration encompasses propulsive action, quiet pathos, and wrenching sorrow.

incredible translation meets wonderful narrator

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
As with Gilgamesh, Mitchell has cut the fat and arranged what's left in a beautiful, modern whole. The voice work is perfect. The book comes alive in a way that's impossible for more faithful translations. The scenes are tighter. The boasts no longer sound so ridiculous. And best of all are the insults, which have actual bite in Mitchell's hands. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I could hardly stop listening.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

If you could sum up The Iliad in three words, what would they be?

While Mitchell's translation and the variation of the Illiad it is based on are rather controversial, it is surely a wonderful thing to listen to. The great actor, Alfred Molina, does a splendid job. A true pleasure to listen to. Mitchell's translation in contemporary English makes the text especially alive.

A great listen!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If you skip the long intro, it’s like 7 chapters or so it’s really good. The intro is well written but unnecessary and goes into a lot of detail which can ruin the story for you if this is your first proper go through. Alfred Molina is awesome and hearing Doctor Octopus say some of these lines is really funny. If I had a dollar for every time I heard Alfred Molina say Nipple I would have enough to by like 10 copies of this.

Skip the intro

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It is well read and written but with an excessively long start which goes over all the people and main events in full dialect and the narrators personal take and opinions

Mostly great

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews