Skip to main content
University of California Press

About the Book

“The best line-for-line translation.”—London Review of Books
“A notable achievement.”—Times Literary Supplement

A stunning set of Homer’s epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey, translated with rare accessibility and power by renowned classicist and scholar Peter Green.

Homer's epics are brought to life in language that readers consistently describe as smooth, vivid, and genuinely poetic—faithful to the verve and pathos of the original text while offering unmatched clarity for the modern reader. Thoughtful introductions, detailed synopses, and helpful notes make it easy to follow the story and deepen your understanding of the characters, conflicts, and themes.

Enclosed by a striking slipcase, the two-book set is an ideal gift for mythology lovers, students, or for your own home library. Deluxe design elements include a sturdy box with premium textured coating and metallic/spot-gloss details, paired with matching hardcover volumes.

About the Author

Peter Green is Dougherty Centennial Professor Emeritus of Classics at the University of Texas at Austin. One of the most prolific scholars of the ancient world, he is the author of both historical studies and translations of poetry, including The Poems of Catullus, Apollonios's The Argonautika, and Homer's The Iliad, all by UC Press.

From Our Blog

Beyond the Big Screen: Explore the "Odyssey" with "Classical Antiquity"

If Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" has you thinking about Homer's epic, dive deeper with a curated selection of free-to-read scholarship from "Classical Antiquity" that reveals new ways to understand one of literature's greatest adventures.
Read More

Reviews

Praise for Peter Green’s translation of The Odyssey:
 
"Green brings to the poem the rhetorical directness and historical expertise which worked so well in his translation of The Iliad. Speeches in his version are vigorous and direct."—London Review of Books

"Comparisons to [Emily] Wilson's recent translation are inevitable. . . . Both Wilson and Green capture the spirit of The Odyssey, but word-for-word, Green also captures a feel for the Homeric language, an experience closer to the original."—Library Journal

"An amazingly accessible translation for experienced or novice readers, a translation that conveys both the feeling and the sense of the original lyrical Greek. . . .  eminently suitable for classroom use."—Choice

"Green's intelligent translation is . . . a superb choice."—The Weekly Standard
 
Praise for Peter Green’s translation of The Iliad:
 
"Taken as a whole, this is the best line-for-line translation of the poem I know."—London Review of Books

“Peter Green’s particular merit lies in achieving a clarity and fluidity that carries the reader forward. A notable achievement."—The Times Literary Supplement 

“[Green] gets the interpretation right without interrupting the forward motion that is always Homer’s aim—and this is one of the great virtues of Green’s translation as a whole: its limber fluency.”—The New York Review of Books