For those unaware, Christopher Nolan is making a movie of Odyssey:
> An adaptation of the ancient Greek epic poem the Odyssey attributed to Homer, the film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca, and chronicles his long and perilous journey home following the Trojan War as he attempts to reunite with his wife, Penelope. The ensemble cast also features Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, and Jon Bernthal, among others.
I can see the potential. His earlier ("serious") work is: The Rainmaker, Good Will Hunting, Rounders, The Talented Mr. Ripley.
More recently: Oppenheimer, The Last Duel, Ford v Ferrari. While The Martian is generally considered a comedy, I think he showed a man coping under pressure pretty well.
Logue's War Music is easily the finest poetic work of the late 20th century, but it's not a full translation -- it only covers a few books, a fraction of the total Iliad -- and I think that it's better understood as a supplement to Homer. It works as a thing in itself, but it works 100x better if you're already familiar with the Iliad and are ready for a fresh perspective on a few select scenes.
Finishing the job would be a tremendous undertaking, on par with Ezra Pound's Cantos. It should eventually be attempted by somebody, though.
If it's a translation at all, then we need a new word for when you change a text from one language into another language. I think 'retelling' is a perfectly good word to use here!
Yes. Logue's are (brilliant) retellings, not translations. His source material were other English translations, since he was not literate in ancient Greek (as the article's author notes).
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See an East African lion
Nose tip to tail tuft ten, eleven feet
Slouching towards you
Swaying its head from side to side
Doubling its pace, its gold-black mane
That stretches down its belly to its groin
Catching the sunlight as it hits
Twice its own length a beat, then leaps
Great forepaws high great claws disclosed
The scarlet insides of its mouth
Parting a roar as loud as sail-sized flames
And lands, slam-scattering the herd.
Totally agree. I re-read it yesterday. The latest edition has Books 1-9 and 16-19, plus some notes and scraps from the remainder. Albeit his versions of those books are mostly shorter than the original, it's more complete than I remember.
I think the thing I love most about Logue's retelling is that when reading it I hear the voices so clearly. I often think it's a shame that nobody (as far as I know) has put on a play of War Music.
This kind of link always makes me want to plug a 25 year-old episode of C-SPAN’s Book Notes, featuring Stanley Lombardo—beating a drum in rhythm with a reading of his then-recent Odyssey translation—and Christopher Hitchens, among others.
> I’m serious, read Knox’s review, and tell me if it doesn’t make you want to read Logue
Yeah it makes me want to read him like a clickbait title and thumbnail make me click on a youtube video. It works, but it's not healthy.
I've never read Christopher Logue, but the examples shown here and in a quoted article show that it's not a translation, so I don't see the point to use it in an article about translation and translator. For the work itself, I don't see the interest and the point in 2025, but maybe it was different in the period's zeitgest
I honestly wonder, what kind of person writes a book that compares translations without thinking to include ample examples? Are they intentionally trying to limit their audience?
Daniel Mendelsohn's new translation of Odyssey came out in April this year. He claims to have taken a more litteral approach following on the footsteps of Lattimore.
For those unaware, Christopher Nolan is making a movie of Odyssey:
> An adaptation of the ancient Greek epic poem the Odyssey attributed to Homer, the film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca, and chronicles his long and perilous journey home following the Trojan War as he attempts to reunite with his wife, Penelope. The ensemble cast also features Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, and Jon Bernthal, among others.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Odyssey_(2026_film)
Damn, as bad as the Troy movie was I thought Sean Bean was a great pick for Odysseus. Not so sure about Matt Damon
I can see the potential. His earlier ("serious") work is: The Rainmaker, Good Will Hunting, Rounders, The Talented Mr. Ripley.
More recently: Oppenheimer, The Last Duel, Ford v Ferrari. While The Martian is generally considered a comedy, I think he showed a man coping under pressure pretty well.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Damon_filmography
> The Martian is generally considered a comedy
How general is generally? I’ve never heard anyone come close to suggesting it is a comedy.
> Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical: The Martian (WINNER)
* https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/golden-globes-winner...
Never seen the film, but have always liked the idea of Brad Pitt as the overweeningly proud and self-involved Achilles.
It's a terrible film but enjoyable.
I'd rather someone did the Iliad in the style of Flash Gordon.
I enjoyed The Return with Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche
Ffs, no. We don't need this.
Logue's War Music is easily the finest poetic work of the late 20th century, but it's not a full translation -- it only covers a few books, a fraction of the total Iliad -- and I think that it's better understood as a supplement to Homer. It works as a thing in itself, but it works 100x better if you're already familiar with the Iliad and are ready for a fresh perspective on a few select scenes.
Finishing the job would be a tremendous undertaking, on par with Ezra Pound's Cantos. It should eventually be attempted by somebody, though.
> but it's not a full translation
If it's a translation at all, then we need a new word for when you change a text from one language into another language. I think 'retelling' is a perfectly good word to use here!
Yes. Logue's are (brilliant) retellings, not translations. His source material were other English translations, since he was not literate in ancient Greek (as the article's author notes).
----------
See an East African lion Nose tip to tail tuft ten, eleven feet Slouching towards you Swaying its head from side to side Doubling its pace, its gold-black mane That stretches down its belly to its groin Catching the sunlight as it hits Twice its own length a beat, then leaps Great forepaws high great claws disclosed The scarlet insides of its mouth Parting a roar as loud as sail-sized flames And lands, slam-scattering the herd.
“This is how Hector came on us.”
----------
If only he were able to complete his retelling.
Totally agree. I re-read it yesterday. The latest edition has Books 1-9 and 16-19, plus some notes and scraps from the remainder. Albeit his versions of those books are mostly shorter than the original, it's more complete than I remember.
I think the thing I love most about Logue's retelling is that when reading it I hear the voices so clearly. I often think it's a shame that nobody (as far as I know) has put on a play of War Music.
Apparently it has been done. There were BBC readings and I found this:
https://variety.com/2009/legit/reviews/war-music-1200507311/
This kind of link always makes me want to plug a 25 year-old episode of C-SPAN’s Book Notes, featuring Stanley Lombardo—beating a drum in rhythm with a reading of his then-recent Odyssey translation—and Christopher Hitchens, among others.
https://www.c-span.org/program/book-tv/discussion-of-homers-...
Literati YouTube before it was cool.
> I’m serious, read Knox’s review, and tell me if it doesn’t make you want to read Logue
Yeah it makes me want to read him like a clickbait title and thumbnail make me click on a youtube video. It works, but it's not healthy.
I've never read Christopher Logue, but the examples shown here and in a quoted article show that it's not a translation, so I don't see the point to use it in an article about translation and translator. For the work itself, I don't see the interest and the point in 2025, but maybe it was different in the period's zeitgest
I honestly wonder, what kind of person writes a book that compares translations without thinking to include ample examples? Are they intentionally trying to limit their audience?
I agree, but I'd imagine there are copyright issues with the newer translations.
I'm no copyright lawyer. But quoting short passages from multiple translations for comparative literary purposes, is probably fair dealing/fair use.
Daniel Mendelsohn's new translation of Odyssey came out in April this year. He claims to have taken a more litteral approach following on the footsteps of Lattimore.
Did anyone here read it?
Fitzgerald and Green are the top two in my opinion.
FWIW, I loved E.V. Rieu’s translation of The Illiad. I have his version of the Odyssey but haven't read it yet.
In the age of AI, Butler deserves more recognition.
I'd so much rather see a top-shelf adaptation of _The Song of Achilles_
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