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University of California Press

About the Book

A stunning set of Homer’s epics, brilliantly translated by a leading ancient world scholar.

Hailed by reviewers and readers alike, Peter Green’s landmark translations of Homer’s timeless epics are now available for the first time in this striking and sleekly designed collector-worthy set. With the verve and pathos of the original oral tradition, Green captures the beauty and complexity, the surging thunder and quiet lyricism, of the Iliad and the Odyssey for a new generation of readers. The translations are vivid and careful, accurate without being out of reach, while the detailed synopses and notes include perceptive observations about Homer’s characters and themes. This widely acclaimed, must-have collection will be a treasured addition to every reader’s bookshelf.

About the Author

Peter Green is Dougherty Centennial Professor Emeritus of Classics at the University of Texas at Austin. One of the most prolific scholars of the ancient world, he is the author of both historical studies and translations of poetry, including The Poems of Catullus, Apollonios's The Argonautika, and Homer's The Iliad, all by UC Press.

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Reviews

Praise for Peter Green’s translation of The Odyssey:
 
"Green brings to the poem the rhetorical directness and historical expertise which worked so well in his translation of The Iliad. Speeches in his version are vigorous and direct."—London Review of Books
 
"An amazingly accessible translation for experienced or novice readers, a translation that conveys both the feeling and the sense of the original lyrical Greek. . . .  eminently suitable for classroom use."—Choice
 
"Comparisons to [Emily] Wilson's recent translation are inevitable. . . . Both Wilson and Green capture the spirit of the Odyssey, but word-for-word, Green also captures a feel for the Homeric language, an experience closer to the original."—Library Journal
 
"Green's intelligent translation is . . . a superb choice."—The Weekly Standard
 
Praise for Peter Green’s translation of The Iliad:
 
“Taken as a whole, this is the best line-for-line translation of the poem I know.”—London Review of Books
 
“Peter Green’s particular merit lies in achieving a clarity and fluidity that carries the reader forward. A notable achievement.”—Times Literary Supplement 
 
“[Green] gets the interpretation right without interrupting the forward motion that is always Homer’s aim—and this is one of the great virtues of Green’s translation as a whole: its limber fluency.”—New York Review of Books