I’d heard about Emily Wilson’s award winning translation of the Odyssey and my curiosity was piqued enough to try her translation of the Iliad, by far my favorite of the two epics. After reading her work I may well read her Odyssey too despite my general apathy for the story, it’s just that good.

Wilson delivers a beautifully rendered translation that feels vibrant and immediate even though we all know how the story ultimately ends. The introduction and supplementary materials were interesting as well and shed new light on an epic I thought I knew pretty well.

In addition to reading, I listened to an audiobook adaptation of this specific translation performed by Audra McDonald. I can’t say enough good things about McDonald’s ability as a voice actor here, every aspect of the poem from the more mundane (the catalog of ships) to the most exciting (Achilles duel with Hector) is made better by her impassioned performance.