Book review: The Iliad

ah, did my son exist? was he a dream?

In recent years, I have tried to get back into reading fiction, and much of it has failed to grab me. The Iliad grabbed me within the first few pages.

You know a book has you when it makes you feel something strong about its characters. What I felt was strong hatred towards Agamemnon, an asshole who is very fun to hate. All this to say, characterization of both mortals and gods in the Iliad feels strong even to this day.

This book is everything, and it has been so for centuries. It’s part of the so-called “Epic Cycle” that tells the story of the Trojan War, but more remarkably, it’s just a good book. Instead of trying to shoehorn everything in,^[1] it focuses on a short period of time within the conflict, gravitates towards a cast of characters, and ultimately demonstrates a lesson about humanity through a character arc.

Even if you think you know everything there is to know about the Greek gods and heroes, through reading retellings, devouring their Wiki pages, and learning about their myths through all sorts of means, in the Iliad, they come to life. Their actions, behavior, and stakes in the war will surprise you.

I read the Robert Fitzgerald translation and really enjoyed it.

Thersites was right, by the way.