The Odyssey vs Ἰλιάς: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Greek Epic poetry, Poetry
The Odyssey
A new translation of the epic poem retells the story of Odysseus's ten-year voyage home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.
1 film adaptation
vs
Ἰλιάς
“And Trojans hearing the brazen voice of Aeacides, all their spirits quaked – even sleek-maned horses, sensing death in the wind, slewed their chariots round and charioteers were struck dumb when they saw that fire, relentless, terrible, burst from proud-hearted Achilles' head, blazing as fiery-eyed Athena fuelled the flames.”
This long-awaited new edition of Lattimore's Iliad is designed to bring the book into the twenty-first century—while leaving the poem as firmly rooted in ancient Greece as ever. Lattimore's elegant, fluent verses—with…
1 film adaptation
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Odyssey has the widest readership — 1271001 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| The Odyssey | Ἰλιάς | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (1271001) | — |
| Hardcover | 3.9 (1457) | — |
Reception
| The Odyssey | Ἰλιάς | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1271001 | 91 |
| Editions | 118 | 1084 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 1030492 | — |
| Written reviews | 37755 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 4219213 | 461360 |
| Pages | — | 350 |