The Iliad cover art

The Iliad

Penguin Classics

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The Iliad

By: Homer, E. V. Rieu, D. C. H. Rieu, Peter Jones
Narrated by: Steve John Shepherd
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

This Penguin Classic is performed by Steve John Shepherd, whose theatre credits include Much Ado About Nothing at the Globe, The Good Canary directed by John Malkovich, Bomber's Moon and Piaf. His TV and film credits range from the iconic This Life to Silent Witness and Eastenders. This definitive recording includes an introduction by E V Rieu.

One of the foremost achievements in Western literature, Homer's Iliad tells the story of the darkest episode in the Trojan War. At its centre is Achilles, the greatest warrior-champion of the Greeks, and his refusal to fight after being humiliated by his leader Agamemnon. But when the Trojan Hector kills Achilles' close friend Patroclus, he storms back into battle to take revenge - although knowing this will ensure his own early death. Interwoven with this tragic sequence of events are powerfully moving descriptions of the ebb and flow of battle, of the domestic world inside Troy's besieged city of Ilium, and of the conflicts between the Gods on Olympus as they argue over the fate of mortals.

Public Domain (P)2020 Penguin Audio Ancient, Classical & Medieval Literature Epic Poetry Themes & Styles Classics Ancient Greece Ancient History Greece Greek Classics
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Is a slow start if not used to this style of literature (like me). I think the first few chapters will make more sense on a second reading, as the author assumes some knowledge.
The introductory chapter at the end was a great addition, with author providing some excellent contextual information

Well narrated essential western reading

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Steve John Shepherd gives a superlative, wonderfully engaging narration of Homer’s magnificent epic. Thank you Steve Shepherd. I much appreciated, also, E.V., Rieu’s translation, and his Introduction. Audible chose to place the Introduction after The Iliad had concluded, and I found it much more meaningful in that position. Good call, Audible (or whoever made the decision.) Overall, listening to The Iliad was a most fantastic mind expanding and thought provoking experience. Other books—including classics— pale by comparison. I had formerly thought The Iliad was a tedious and dry old Greek tale. It is the opposite and is profoundly enriching in the world view and moral view it portrays along with the beauty of its poetic descriptions. And it is an exciting tale.

Brilliant narration

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