The Iliad

This enriched edition of The Iliad includes:

• An original preface and an introduction to the epic’s historical and literary context
• A detailed biography of Homer and an exploration of the Homeric Question
• A complete summary of all twenty-four books
• Original analysis of the characters, themes and enduring meaning of the work

The Trojan War has raged for nine years when Agamemnon dishonours Achilles. Enraged, the greatest warrior among the Achaeans withdraws from battle. His absence transforms the course of the war, drawing Greeks and Trojans into a devastating succession of conflicts shaped by honour, anger, glory and death.

The Iliad tells neither the story of the Trojan Horse nor the destruction of Troy. Instead, it focuses on a few decisive weeks of the war, from the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon to the deeply moving encounter between the warrior and the aged King Priam.

Through Achilles, Hector, Patroclus, Andromache and Priam, Homer creates a profoundly human epic in which even the most glorious heroes remain subject to fate, loss and their own fragile mortality.

This edition presents the complete text of all twenty-four books in a new English prose rendering based on Leconte de Lisle’s classic French translation, accompanied by original editorial material designed to make the epic more accessible and deepen the reader’s understanding of this foundational work of Western literature.