--- product_id: 648538036 title: "The Iliad" price: "₪137" currency: ILS in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.co.il/products/648538036-the-iliad store_origin: IL region: Israel --- # The Iliad **Price:** ₪137 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Iliad - **How much does it cost?** ₪137 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.il](https://www.desertcart.co.il/products/648538036-the-iliad) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description “Wilson’s Iliad is clear and brisk, its iambic pentameter a zone of enchantment.” ―Ange Mlinko, London Review of Books The greatest literary landmark of antiquity masterfully rendered by the most celebrated translator of our time. When Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey appeared in 2017―revealing the ancient poem in a contemporary idiom that was “fresh, unpretentious and lean” (Madeline Miller, Washington Post )―critics lauded it as “a revelation” (Susan Chira, New York Times ) and “a cultural landmark” (Charlotte Higgins, Guardian ) that would forever change how Homer is read in English. Now Wilson has returned with an equally revelatory translation of Homer’s other great epic―the most revered war poem of all time. The Iliad roars with the clamor of arms, the bellowing boasts of victors, the fury and grief of loss, and the anguished cries of dying men. It sings, too, of the sublime magnitude of the world―the fierce beauty of nature and the gods’ grand schemes beyond the ken of mortals. In Wilson’s hands, this thrilling, magical, and often horrifying tale now gallops at a pace befitting its legendary battle scenes, in crisp but resonant language that evokes the poem’s deep pathos and reveals palpably real, even “complicated,” characters―both human and divine. The culmination of a decade of intense engagement with antiquity’s most surpassingly beautiful and emotionally complex poetry, Wilson’s Iliad now gives us a complete Homer for our generation. 5 maps Review: Brutal, Clear, and Uncomfortably Human - Emily Wilson’s translation of The Iliad in hardcover delivers something that a lot of versions miss—it lets the story feel immediate without sanding down its brutality. The first thing that stands out is how controlled and deliberate the language is. Like her Odyssey, the verse is clean and readable, but here it carries a heavier weight. There’s a steadiness to the rhythm that fits the subject matter—war, pride, grief—and it builds a kind of pressure as you move through the text. Nothing feels ornamental for the sake of it. What I appreciated most is how human the characters come across. Achilles isn’t just a legendary warrior; he’s volatile, wounded, and often difficult to sympathize with. Hector feels grounded in responsibility and inevitability. Even smaller characters are given just enough clarity that their deaths don’t blur together. The violence isn’t glorified—it’s specific, physical, and often uncomfortable to sit with. Wilson also does a strong job with the emotional undercurrent of the poem. The grief runs through everything, and it’s not treated as an afterthought. Moments of mourning, rage, and exhaustion feel just as important as the battles themselves. It gives the whole work a kind of gravity that lingers even in quieter scenes. Another thing worth noting is how she handles repetition and epithets. Instead of feeling redundant, they come across as intentional, almost ritualistic, reinforcing the structure of the poem without dragging down the pacing. The hardcover edition itself is solid. Good weight, durable binding, and a layout that supports the verse rather than crowding it. It feels like a book you can sit with for a long time without it becoming physically tiring to read. If you’ve found The Iliad difficult or distant in other translations, this version makes it far more accessible without simplifying it. And if you already know the text, it’s still worth reading for how clearly it brings out the psychological and emotional stakes behind the conflict. Overall, this is a powerful, grounded translation that treats the epic not as a distant legend, but as a deeply human story shaped by anger, loss, and consequence. Review: A great translation! - I read The Iliad annually. It is easily my favorite book and is the one I always choose when people ask questions like, “If you were inexplicably marooned on an island and for some vague reason could only have one book, which one would it be?” I have most of the major translations into English and for a long time gravitated toward Lattimore because it is more poetic than other popular translations like Fagles. This translation does not disappoint. It is more clearly poetic than Lattimore with what are probably better translation choices. I particularly like her use of Iambic Pentameter here. It’s not the same in Greek, but for English readers, it’s great. She really captures the essence of things in new ways that challenged my earlier conceptions—but that could also be a payoff for reading it again, as the Iliad continually rewards me whenever I reread it. The combat is as brutal and heart-wrenching as ever, and this translation lays bare the emotional stakes on both the war front and the domestic front. If you are new to The Iliad, the introduction provides a really good background and discusses the goals of this translation as well as the reasons for stylistic choices. If you’re not new to the Iliad this translation is a rewarding read and provides a fresh perspective. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #3,494 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3 in Ancient & Classical Poetry #3 in Epic Poetry (Books) #148 in Classic Literature & Fiction | | Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 1,385 Reviews | ## Images ![The Iliad - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91R3cB3kQGL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Brutal, Clear, and Uncomfortably Human *by R***L on March 31, 2026* Emily Wilson’s translation of The Iliad in hardcover delivers something that a lot of versions miss—it lets the story feel immediate without sanding down its brutality. The first thing that stands out is how controlled and deliberate the language is. Like her Odyssey, the verse is clean and readable, but here it carries a heavier weight. There’s a steadiness to the rhythm that fits the subject matter—war, pride, grief—and it builds a kind of pressure as you move through the text. Nothing feels ornamental for the sake of it. What I appreciated most is how human the characters come across. Achilles isn’t just a legendary warrior; he’s volatile, wounded, and often difficult to sympathize with. Hector feels grounded in responsibility and inevitability. Even smaller characters are given just enough clarity that their deaths don’t blur together. The violence isn’t glorified—it’s specific, physical, and often uncomfortable to sit with. Wilson also does a strong job with the emotional undercurrent of the poem. The grief runs through everything, and it’s not treated as an afterthought. Moments of mourning, rage, and exhaustion feel just as important as the battles themselves. It gives the whole work a kind of gravity that lingers even in quieter scenes. Another thing worth noting is how she handles repetition and epithets. Instead of feeling redundant, they come across as intentional, almost ritualistic, reinforcing the structure of the poem without dragging down the pacing. The hardcover edition itself is solid. Good weight, durable binding, and a layout that supports the verse rather than crowding it. It feels like a book you can sit with for a long time without it becoming physically tiring to read. If you’ve found The Iliad difficult or distant in other translations, this version makes it far more accessible without simplifying it. And if you already know the text, it’s still worth reading for how clearly it brings out the psychological and emotional stakes behind the conflict. Overall, this is a powerful, grounded translation that treats the epic not as a distant legend, but as a deeply human story shaped by anger, loss, and consequence. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A great translation! *by U***D on September 6, 2025* I read The Iliad annually. It is easily my favorite book and is the one I always choose when people ask questions like, “If you were inexplicably marooned on an island and for some vague reason could only have one book, which one would it be?” I have most of the major translations into English and for a long time gravitated toward Lattimore because it is more poetic than other popular translations like Fagles. This translation does not disappoint. It is more clearly poetic than Lattimore with what are probably better translation choices. I particularly like her use of Iambic Pentameter here. It’s not the same in Greek, but for English readers, it’s great. She really captures the essence of things in new ways that challenged my earlier conceptions—but that could also be a payoff for reading it again, as the Iliad continually rewards me whenever I reread it. The combat is as brutal and heart-wrenching as ever, and this translation lays bare the emotional stakes on both the war front and the domestic front. If you are new to The Iliad, the introduction provides a really good background and discusses the goals of this translation as well as the reasons for stylistic choices. If you’re not new to the Iliad this translation is a rewarding read and provides a fresh perspective. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beautiful & highly readable translation !!! Plus a great Audible reading by Audra McDonald !!! *by B***Y on July 21, 2025* A great read for this first-timer dipping into Homer. Emily Wilson's iambic pentameter moves like "ichor, the liquid that flows through the blessed gods." And I loved switching back and forth between reading the text myself and listening to the marvelous reading by Audra McDonald on the Audible recording. I highly recommend both the book and the audiobook, which I found captivating from beginning to end, unlike other translations which I had attempted to read previously. ## Frequently Bought Together - The Iliad - The Odyssey - The Aeneid: A New Translation --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.il/products/648538036-the-iliad](https://www.desertcart.co.il/products/648538036-the-iliad) --- *Product available on Desertcart Israel* *Store origin: IL* *Last updated: 2026-06-25*