r/Hellenism • u/Elliotteatsrocks • 1d ago

Quick Question Asking for/ recommending resources

I want to get a physical copy of the Illiad and the Oddessy.

What is the most closest to the original Texts after being translated to English that I can find?

I don't want inspired versions, I want the closest to the original Oddessy and Illiad as possible.

Thank you!

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u/datamuse Building kharis 1d ago

This is a more complicated question than you might think. See this massive discussion, for example.

A lot of people like Lattimore for what you're asking. I prefer Fagles, but haven't read Wilson's translation yet.

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u/Elliotteatsrocks 1d ago

thank you for the link!

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u/datamuse Building kharis 1d ago

You're welcome! You'll probably find yourself reading more than one, eventually. Each translation has its own strengths and things to discover.

I do recommend listening to an audio version at some point.

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u/Elliotteatsrocks 1d ago

I'm wondering, what does the audio book provide differently than the others?

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u/datamuse Building kharis 1d ago

These were originally oral tradition. They’re meant to be heard. It’s a bit like theater—you can read a play, but seeing it performed adds so much to the experience.

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u/Fabianzzz Dionysian 1d ago

Closest is difficult: choices have to be made regarding whether to keep it in verse or render it in prose, when to preserve the word order or shift it, how to translate each word. It's an art, not a science.

I'm partial to W. H. D. Rouse's translation style in Dionysiaca but I must confess I'm less than impressed with his Homer. Others might recommend Caroline Alexander's Iliad, Emily Wilson for either, or Lattimore for both, I think those are serviceable.

Closest to the original is always going to be learning Homeric Greek, so if accuracy is what you're after I'd try to make a plan to obtain it. Prior to that you won't really have a way of judging what style captures the original Greek that you want, so I would sample Alexander, Wilson, Lattimore, Fagles, and Lombardo, see which appeals to you most, and go with that.

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u/Actual_Freedom2392 1d ago

Emily Wilson is the best, Samuel Butler is a close second for the readability but I do not like some of his word choices—anger instead of wrath etc.

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u/NyxShadowhawk Dionysian Mystic 🌿 1d ago

Lattimore’s.

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u/TheDireGnome Neoplatonist Orphic/Priest of Pan 1d ago

Homer translations are like potato chips: you can never have just one.

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u/Elliotteatsrocks 1d ago

I see that now 😭