# The Iliad by Homer

9 Hacker News commenters recommended The Iliad by Homer and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 7 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as one of the most important works of ancient literature, with a translation that reads easier than expected. Critics mainly object to oblique names.

## Why people recommend it

- Major work of ancient literature (2 comments): "Homer really did smash out an absolute banger with Iliad" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48215688)) "one of the most important works of ancient literature" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48217634))
- Broadens perspective and appreciation (2 comments): "the perspectives you get reading Iliad, Beowulf, Treasure Island, and Tolkien are all very different" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46801923)) "it gave me an appreciation for the Iliad I would never otherwise have had." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47204045))
- Translation reads easily (2 comments): "This translation has been a easy read, far easier than I expected." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903882)) "Fagles' translation of The Illiad worked best for me" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49088991))

## What people warn about

- Names are frequently oblique (1 comments): "It's horribly written because names are frequently oblique" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45947312))
- Story hard to follow (1 comments): "what is the story of the Iliad, anyway? Something about the wrath of Achilles, right?" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48986916))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Odyssey by Emily Wilson](https://hackerapproved.com/p/odyssey-translated.md): 21 recommend
- [Gilgamesh by Simon Armitage](https://hackerapproved.com/p/gilgamesh.md): 11 recommend
- [The Claudyssey by Claude Fable 5](https://hackerapproved.com/p/claudyssey.md): 8 recommend
- [Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley](https://hackerapproved.com/p/beowulf.md): 5 recommend
- [Paradise Lost by John Milton](https://hackerapproved.com/p/paradise-lost.md): 3 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0451530691?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780451530691) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Iliad by Homer", https://hackerapproved.com/p/iliad/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).