The product of more than a decade’s continuous work (1958-1611). Chapman’s translation of ttomer’s great poem of war is a magnificent testimony to the power of the Ililiad. In muscular, onward-rolling verse Chapman retells the story of Achilles, the great warrior, and his terrible wrath before the walls of besieged Troy. and the destruction it wreaks on both Greeks and Trojans.Chapman regarded the translation of this epic, and of Homer’s Odyssey(also available in Wordsworth Editions) as his life’s work, and dedicated himself to capturing the ’soul’ of the poem. Swinburne praised the resulting translation for its ’romantic and sometirnes barbaric grandeur, its freshness, strength, and inexhaustable fire’,qualities that reflect the grandeur, fire and brutality of the original poem. 1his new edition includes a critical introduction and extensive notes, rendering Chapman’s extraordinary poetic masterpiece accessible to modern readers.

Wordsworth Classics are inexpensive editions designed to appeal to the general reader and students. We commissioned teachers and specialists to write wide ranging, jargon-free introductions and to provide notes that would assist the understanding of our readers rather than interpret the stories for them. In the -same spirit, because the pleasures of reading are inseparable from the surprises,secrets and revelations that all narratives contain, we strongly advise you to enjoy this book before turning to the Introduction.