The Iliad May 2011 Readalong Sign-ups.

Welcome to the sign-up post for the May 2011 readalong of Homer's The Iliad hosted here at A Literary Odyssey! I am very excited about this one (and only slightly bummed that my reading of the Hardy novel it beat out will be delayed).

I love The Odyssey and it was the first book I discussed here. It inspired my blog and everything I have accomplished since starting this wondrous piece of the internet up. While I have read The Iliad, it was a long time ago, and it was a bad translation. I am excited to be getting back into the wonders of the Greeks with this title.

If you aren't sure if you want to tackle this one or not, here is a little synopsis taken from Goodreads.com;

"One of the greatest stories ever told, The Iliad has survived for thousands of years because of its insightful portrayal of man and its epic story of war, duty, honor, and revenge.

While The Iliad recounts the war between the Trojans and Achaeans, it also is the tragic story of the fiery-tempered Achilles. Insulted by his king, the proud Achilles decides to stand by as his comrades are annihilated, but circumstances finally spur the warrior to wreak savage retribution upon Troy.

The battle between the Trojans and Achaeans stirs ancient passions and vendettas among the gods of Olympus. While the two armies of mortals confront each other, the gods fly to earth to aid their allies and confound their enemies. Soon, they too enter the fray alongside the men, which leads to an attempt to betray Zeus himself, the supreme king of Olympus.

Woven among the battle scenes are the stories of the men and women caught in the war: the Trojan prince Hector, who is torn between duty and love for his wife and young son; Helen, who is the most beautiful woman in the world, but who comes to regret being born; and Priam, the king of Troy, who is too old to battle, but has the strength for one final act of courage."

Like I said, I can't wait to read this one with all of you. Now, be warned that this one is a little bigger than some of the other ones, and it will vary greatly depending on your translation. Make sure you pick a translation you like before you begin (I suggest going and reading the first couple pages of a few at the store before deciding).

The page breakdown is based on my own edition (the same edition that makes up our image for the readalong). I love Robert Fagles and he is a marvelous translator. His translation of The Odyssey is by far my favorite.

Here is the breakdown and it goes by the "books" that make up the tale. There are 24 books, and in my edition (the one translated by Fagles), the actual text of The Iliad is 536 pages.

• Post 1 will go up on May 16 (a Monday). Post 1 will cover books 1-12 (263 pages)
• Post 2 will go up May 31 (a Tuesday). Post 2 will cover books 13-24 (273 pages)

I hope that many of you will decide to join in! If you are planning on it, please comment below with a link to your blog (so I can link your name here). I will see on the battlefields of Troy! (<- see what I did there? Clever, aren't I?)

Participants:

KC
Kristi
Read the Book
Becca A.
terri-maree
Avid Reader
Aarti
Grace
Karen
Ellie
Phanee
Gabe
Coreena