A Companion to the Iliad

Malcolm M Willcock's brilliant "Companion" is based on Lattimore's translation which follows the Greek translation line by line; making Lattimore's translation closest to what Homer intended. An example of Willcock's notes: "angry arrows" were usually dipped in poison. Between Lattimore and Wilcock, it took me three months (two to three hours a day) to read the 24 Books of "The Iliad." [Yes, I am a slow reader.] This intense immersion may not be for everyone. But, trust me, the compliment is well-deserved.

I have used this handy guide for over twenty years. I just had to get another one because I gave my first copy to the teacher who replaced me when I retired. It is keyed to the Lattimore translation of the Iliad, and addresses many scholarly and linguistic issues that can be problems when teaching the epic. The first-time reader of Homer can profit from the book as well, but its primary value seems to be for the teacher or the advanced student.

Though not for the impatient, this companion to Lattimore's translation of the Iliad is quite accessible to the non-specialist. Difficult passages are explained by making reference to archaelogical and linguistic evidence, other ancient texts (including the scholia and the Odyssey), and recent research on the transmission of oral literature. The reader is thus better able to place this seminal literary work in its proper context. Willcox helps us understand the cultural, political and human forces that shaped the Iliad during the centuries it was an oral poem, and the slight variations it probably underwent once committed to the written word. Overall, an outstanding work of scholarship.