1933–2008
His free-verse Homer and Virgil became the late-20th-century standard for grandeur and drive.
The grand modern standard. Fagles writes long, driving free-verse lines with real sweep and drama, and Bernard Knox’s superb introduction and notes make the Penguin edition a complete package. It is a touch elevated and expansive rather than plain, and it runs longer than the Greek, but it reads aloud beautifully. The Ian McKellen audiobook is many listeners’ favourite. A safe, rich choice for a full-blooded Homer.
The grand modern standard. Fagles writes long, driving free-verse lines with real sweep and force, and Bernard Knox’s superb introduction and notes make the Penguin edition a complete package. It runs a touch elevated and expansive rather than plain, and longer than the Greek, but it reads aloud magnificently and carries the poem’s grief and violence at full weight. A rich, safe choice for a first Iliad.
⚠ Listed for completeness, NOT yet compared on this page. This site only characterises a translation once its passages have been read side by side against the others, and that sourcing has not been done for this version. No judgement here is implied either way.