The Iliad Audiobook By Homer, Emily Wilson - translator cover art

The Iliad

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The Iliad

By: Homer, Emily Wilson - translator
Narrated by: Audra McDonald
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About this listen

2024 Audie Award Winner for Literary Fiction & Classics

When Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey appeared in 2017―rendering the ancient poem in contemporary language that was “fresh, unpretentious and lean” (Madeline Miller, Washington Post)―critics lauded it as “a revelation” (Susan Chira, New York Times) and “a cultural landmark” (Charlotte Higgins, Guardian) that would forever change how Homer is read in English. Now Wilson has returned with an equally revelatory translation of Homer’s other great epic―the most revered war poem of all time.

Brought to life in vivid audio form, this crisp verse translation of The Iliad roars with the clamor of arms, the bellowing boasts of victors, the fury and grief of loss, and the anguished cries of dying men. It sings, too, of the sublime magnitude of the world―the fierce beauty of nature and deities’ grand schemes beyond the ken of mortals.

Wilson’s musical iambic pentameter verse is brought to life in the evocative voice of narrator and Broadway legend Audra McDonald. In her thrilling reading, this magical and often horrifying tale gallops at a pace befitting its legendary battle scenes. The culmination of a decade of intense engagement with antiquity’s most surpassingly beautiful and emotionally complex poetry, Wilson’s Iliad now gives us a complete Homer for our generation.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Emily Wilson (Translation) (P)2023 Audible, Inc.
Epic Poetry Ancient History Heartfelt Ancient Greece
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About the Creator

The Iliad the Odyssey were not invented from scratch by any individual. These great written poems make artful use of a long oral tradition, developed over centuries by many illiterate singer-songwriters. The two epics were composed perhaps in the seventh century BC, by one person or several people, about whom we know nothing. Whoever she, he, or they were, Homer was the most popular poet of antiquity, known simply as The Poet. These metrical, musical, dramatic, thrilling, fast-moving, multi-vocal poems were often performed orally by professional poetry-actors (rhapsodes), and were well-known to everybody in the ancient world: old, young, female, male, rich, poor, educated, illiterate, slave, and free.—Emily Wilson

About the Translator

Emily Wilson is a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She has been named a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome in Renaissance and early modern scholarship, a MacArthur Fellow, and a Guggenheim Fellow. In addition to Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, she has also published translations of Sophocles, Euripides, and Seneca. She lives in Philadelphia.

About the Creator- Audra McDonald

About the Performer

Audra McDonald is unparalleled in the breadth and versatility of her artistry as both a singer and an actor. The winner of a record-breaking six Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Emmy, in 2015 she received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama and was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people. She won Tonys for her performances in Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime, A Raisin in the Sun, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, and Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, which also served as the vehicle for her Olivier-nominated 2017 West End debut. On television, McDonald won an Emmy as the official host of PBS’s Live From Lincoln Center and is known for recurring roles on Private Practice (ABC), The Good Wife (CBS), The Good Fight (Paramount+), and The Gilded Age (HBO). Her film credits include Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast and MGM’s 2021 Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect. A Juilliard-trained soprano, McDonald maintains a major career as a Grammy-winning recording and concert artist. Her latest solo album, Sing Happy, was recorded live with the New York Philharmonic for Decca Gold. She is a founding member of Black Theatre United, a board member of Covenant House International, and a prominent advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights whose favorite roles are those performed offstage, as an activist, wife to actor Will Swenson, and mother.

What listeners say about The Iliad

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Best version of the Iliad

Great narration and neat history lesson if you are interested in the background of the literature

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2 people found this helpful

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Homer!

Such beautiful descriptions and epic story. Beautifully translated and read. This is a great masterpiece!

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stellar reading breathing life into a classic piece of work

the story is what it is classic literature written long time ago. (putting it simply I love ancient Greek stories more than the average person) but Emily Wilson breaths life into a piece of literature history that I feel most people have trouble getting into

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The author’s understanding and passion for the Iliad.

The introduction is way to comprehensive for a reader. The story does not require that level of transactional language, since an avid reader can easily follow the story. I prefer a less educational version and a more realistic to the original scripts.

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Great Work of Scholarship Accessible to All

I am just getting started on this classic work, but already I am engaged and intrigued. I read the ILIAD in Greek 50+ years ago in college, but the professor gave little insight into the universal themes that made the story relevant. I suffered through the classic boxed set two decades ago (also in my Audible library). This work is different, however. I appreciate the pdf with the plot summaries and explanations. Maybe it's just that I've matured to be able to appreciate the work. I'm a fan of the narrator Audra McDonald. The author's insights given as an introduction help make the story relevant to today's world. Alas, we see how ego, vengeance , and patriarchy motivate conflict, which reeks vast devastating consequences. I bought this because my yoga teacher mentioned it as a new translation meant to be orally performed. I'm glad I did.

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Must Have

The translation was impeccable. The narrator was perfect. I’ve taught this work for nearly 50 years, and this book is a must have for any lover of the classics. I would recommend it for the curriculum in all high schools and universities. Will buy in hardcover.

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Very well done

10/10 on all fronts. A wonderful translation and stellar performance filled with joy and sorrow.

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Wow Wow Wow!

Even though I love the Odyssey more than the Iliad, and even though Emily Wilson’s translations of both are superior, listening to Claire Danes’ tired and dry, crackly voice was such a slog. Such an exciting story made an absolute bore read aloud. I didn’t have much hope for the aural Iliad, not knowing Audra McDonald; however, I was blown away! Not only because of Wilson’s meticulous translation, so modern and rich in imagery and detail, but McDonald’s stellar performance just made the listen so much better! McDonald was so passionate that it made the narrative come alive. I felt like I was on that battlefield. I wanted more at the end! Please read aloud all of the books, ever. Thank you.

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Well Done!

Fantastic translation. Fantastic performance. Enjoyed this immensely. if you have ever been intimidated by this poem,give this a try.

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The attention to detail

Every single minute was worth the listen (read). Thankful tbat Emily Wilson took the time to translate this epic story for the world. To Audra McDonald, your narration was riveting!!

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