This is an odd book. It’s the translation of an Italian writer’s reworking of an Italian translation of The Iliad. If it’s difficult to understand why a translation should be reworked (rather than revised), it’s even more difficult to figure out why that translation should then be rendered into yet another language.
We have fine translations of Homer’s epic into English, none better than Robert Fagles’ version in my opinion, so is this worth it?
Baricco takes some liberties with Homer’s story, the most obvious of which is the elimination of the gods as participants in the narrative. Instead, the story is told in sections, roughly corresponding to the books of Homer’s poem, each narrated by a different protagonist. Thus, Chryseis tells us the story of her own abduction and release, which leads to Achilles’ epic sulk. Achilles is the only major character not to narrate a section, which is perhaps a strange decision. Aren’t we most interested in his feelings, never more so than when he hears of the death of his friend Patroclus?
These reservations aside, the book is well enough written, seemingly well translated and would serve as a decent introduction to the original work. But if you want a genuinely brilliant modern take on The Iliad, look no further than Christopher Logue’s brilliant War Music.
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