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The Iliad
- Penguin Classics
- Narrated by: Steve John Shepherd
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
This Penguin Classic is performed by Steve John Shepherd, whose theatre credits include Much Ado About Nothing at the Globe, The Good Canary directed by John Malkovich, Bomber's Moon and Piaf. His TV and film credits range from the iconic This Life to Silent Witness and Eastenders. This definitive recording includes an introduction by E. V. Rieu.
One of the foremost achievements in Western literature, Homer's Iliad tells the story of the darkest episode in the Trojan War. At its centre is Achilles, the greatest warrior-champion of the Greeks and his refusal to fight after being humiliated by his leader Agamemnon. But when the Trojan Hector kills Achilles's close friend Patroclus, he storms back into battle to take revenge - although knowing this will ensure his own early death. Interwoven with this tragic sequence of events are powerfully moving descriptions of the ebb and flow of battle, of the domestic world inside Troy's besieged city of Ilium and of the conflicts between the Gods on Olympus as they argue over the fate of mortals.
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What listeners say about The Iliad
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- stormymonday
- 22-11-20
Stunning
The Iliad needs to be heard read aloud so one can appreciate it as originally intended. Steve John Shepherd does a masterful job of bringing this famous translation alive. You are soon transported back to the shores of the Troad, fully immersed in the fated struggle between the warring humans and gods. It is easy to see why this work obsessed the classical world and still exerts its power today.
6 people found this helpful
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- sarah
- 23-04-20
Beautiful narration
The beautiful narration of this classic tale brings this wonderful story to life. A great listen.
3 people found this helpful
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- Seatonian
- 10-12-21
very enjoyable
I really enjoyed this production.
I had to attend my father when he became unwell, and I had to travel two hundred miles in either direction every week. I listened to The Iliad as I pounded the A1, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought it was very well read in an energetic manner which carried the story forward. I found myself frustrated and angry with the Gods, and I felt engaged and entertained for hours on end.
Personally, I was pro-Trojan! I guess deciding which side you're on is part of the draw and attraction of this work: you find yourself backing one side or the other. I like Hector, but dislike Agamemnon. Odysseus is a good man too.
I suppose Paris was at fault, but if you have Helen making eyes at you, I defy any man to resist...
Overall, I really enjoyed it. A nice, easy to listen to voice with good intonation and clear pronunciation.
2 people found this helpful
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- Happy Hubby
- 11-03-21
Brilliantly read version of a timeless classic
A clear and emotive performance- even amid the many scenes of carnge in combat the narrator resists the urge to speed up and become too loud, instead putting emphasis on key words, making these warriors seem very dangerous indeed- Gripping stuff!
1 person found this helpful
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- Anna
- 22-02-21
Very good narration
I think the narrator was well chosen for this classic work as he uses a serious, ‘heroic’ tone throughout which suits the story very well.
1 person found this helpful
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- UnrealCanine
- 24-07-22
An excellent way to experience an important story
After making several attempts to read The Iliad, it is through this audiobook I finally completed it. I am now convinced that this is the quintessential way to experience the story; it feels right to continue The Iliad in the oral tradition. The story itself is perhaps surprisingly meaningful, with compelling characters whose motivations and interactions are relatable. It is apparent that Homer has captured aspects of war, and through it, human character that are fundamental and always relevant, regardless of The Iliad's time of writing, and when it is read. It is also narrated skilfully, making the audiobook a compelling listen, and underscoring the value in what is being spoken.
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- Amazon Customer
- 26-04-22
An Extraordinary Story
Whether it was written by Homer or not does not matter. What is accepted is that it was written millenniums ago. It is a magnificent read/listen, well read, and as powerful a tale as it is possible to be.
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- Ion
- 03-01-22
Astonishing narration of the Iliad
The narrator brings the characters to life with passion, making the book a very easy listen. While I find the endless descriptions on text rather heavy to read due to its repetitiveness, on this audiobook, I find it to be a good thing as it adds up to the atmosphere.
Battles are described with such passion, and the conversations between the characters are superbly done by this narrator.
I was very impressed, I have never enjoyed the Iliad this much.
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- Carlos Olivo Valverde
- 21-02-21
Narration not as good as that of The Odyssey
Although I fully agree that both The Iliad and the Odyssey benefit from being listened to, I also believe that the narrator's tone must be suited to these ancient Epic Poems. In that sense, George Blagden's narration of The Odyssey for Audible is, in my opinion. modelic. Instead, Steve John Shepherd's narration of the Iliad is not. The narrator adopts a contemporary dramatic register, maybe in order to make the story more lively and entertaining, but that, again in my humble opinion, destroys its pathos.
Having said that, the Penguin text on which this Audible narration is based, is without any doubt, the best prose translation of the Iliiad.
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- OkamiOki
- 18-03-21
The greatest book Mankind has to offer.
A great take that captures both the best and worst of humanity
The savagery and nobility.
Genius and captivating. A the novel to behold.
all my homies read the Illiad
1 person found this helpful
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- Jonathan Hendry
- 02-02-21
Not word for word
A must-read for the masculine male. Though not word for word the monologues and dictation for the rituals are intact. a must-read for the Olympian theologian
1 person found this helpful
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- omegasupreme
- 27-02-22
The fickle hands of fate
no spoilers here, not that you can with a work so widely known and cherished. it's raw, its alive, it's telling of all that's in the heavens for man above between and below. no wonder it's required reading in uni. here, we've inspired and engaging narration, hurling you through the hallowed annals of time. landing as it were on the most celebrated battlefield of antiquity. we are so blessed that the Greeks took literature so seriously. present day society would be at an utter loss without these moments in myth and history preserved to help guide us. an entertaining and engrossing look into man's wrestling with greater will than his own, it's consequences and conclusion. that you should come to love this work, is inevitable even at half a wit......
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- Edgar
- 25-04-21
wonderful!
It was a great retelling of my favorite epic. I enjoyed the notes at the end, it was nice to have the academic analysis at the end of the story...which is a story I have always watched in my head. Also, the narrator has a fantastic voice for telling this story.