[HN Gopher] "English Translators of Homer": A Review
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       "English Translators of Homer": A Review
        
       Author : johngossman
       Score  : 27 points
       Date   : 2025-07-12 17:09 UTC (3 days ago)
        
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       | A_D_E_P_T wrote:
       | Logue's _War Music_ is easily the finest poetic work of the late
       | 20th century, but it 's not a full translation -- it only covers
       | a few books, a fraction of the total Iliad -- and I think that
       | it's better understood as a supplement to Homer. It works as a
       | thing in itself, but it works 100x better if you're already
       | familiar with the Iliad and are ready for a fresh perspective on
       | a few select scenes.
       | 
       | Finishing the job would be a tremendous undertaking, on par with
       | Ezra Pound's _Cantos._ It should eventually be attempted by
       | somebody, though.
        
         | johngossman wrote:
         | Totally agree. I re-read it yesterday. The latest edition has
         | Books 1-9 and 16-19, plus some notes and scraps from the
         | remainder. Albeit his versions of those books are mostly
         | shorter than the original, it's more complete than I remember.
        
         | frereubu wrote:
         | I think the thing I love most about Logue's retelling is that
         | when reading it I hear the voices so clearly. I often think
         | it's a shame that nobody (as far as I know) has put on a play
         | of _War Music_.
        
           | johngossman wrote:
           | Apparently it has been done. There were BBC readings and I
           | found this:
           | 
           | https://variety.com/2009/legit/reviews/war-music-1200507311/
        
         | karaterobot wrote:
         | > but it's not a full translation
         | 
         | If it's a translation at all, then we need a new word for when
         | you change a text from one language into another language. I
         | think 'retelling' is a perfectly good word to use here!
        
       | throw0101c wrote:
       | For those unaware, Christopher Nolan is making a movie of
       | _Odyssey_ :
       | 
       | > _An adaptation of the ancient Greek epic poem the Odyssey
       | attributed to Homer, the film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the
       | Greek king of Ithaca, and chronicles his long and perilous
       | journey home following the Trojan War as he attempts to reunite
       | with his wife, Penelope. The ensemble cast also features Tom
       | Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong 'o, Robert
       | Pattinson, Charlize Theron, and Jon Bernthal, among others._
       | 
       | * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Odyssey_(2026_film)
        
         | cheeseomlit wrote:
         | Damn, as bad as the Troy movie was I thought Sean Bean was a
         | great pick for Odysseus. Not so sure about Matt Damon
        
           | frereubu wrote:
           | Never seen the film, but have always liked the idea of Brad
           | Pitt as the overweeningly proud and self-involved Achilles.
        
           | throw0101c wrote:
           | I can see the potential. His earlier ("serious") work is: The
           | Rainmaker, Good Will Hunting, Rounders, The Talented Mr.
           | Ripley.
           | 
           | More recently: Oppenheimer, The Last Duel, Ford v Ferrari.
           | While _The Martian_ is generally considered a comedy, I think
           | he showed a man coping under pressure pretty well.
           | 
           | * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Damon_filmography
        
             | irrational wrote:
             | > The Martian is generally considered a comedy
             | 
             | How general is generally? I've never heard anyone come
             | close to suggesting it is a comedy.
        
           | crinkly wrote:
           | It's a terrible film but enjoyable.
           | 
           | I'd rather someone did the Iliad in the style of Flash
           | Gordon.
        
         | chrisdhoover wrote:
         | I enjoyed The Return with Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche
        
         | hungmung wrote:
         | Ffs, no. We don't need this.
        
       | ajkjk wrote:
       | I honestly wonder, what kind of person writes a book that
       | compares translations without thinking to include ample examples?
       | Are they intentionally trying to limit their audience?
        
         | madcaptenor wrote:
         | I agree, but I'd imagine there are copyright issues with the
         | newer translations.
        
           | retrac wrote:
           | I'm no copyright lawyer. But quoting short passages from
           | multiple translations for comparative literary purposes, is
           | probably fair dealing/fair use.
        
       | billfruit wrote:
       | Daniel Mendelsohn's new translation of Odyssey came out in April
       | this year. He claims to have taken a more litteral approach
       | following on the footsteps of Lattimore.
       | 
       | Did anyone here read it?
        
       | vonnik wrote:
       | Fitzgerald and Green are the top two in my opinion.
        
       | aaroninsf wrote:
       | I'd so much rather see a top-shelf adaptation of _The Song of
       | Achilles_
        
       | tiahura wrote:
       | In the age of AI, Butler deserves more recognition.
        
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