THE ILIAD

Whatever one thinks of Mitchell's new—and controversial—translation of Homer's epic poem of love and war, it begs to be read aloud. Listeners may choose not to wade through the lengthy introduction, read by Mitchell himself, which contains lots of helpful background information about ancient Greek society but unnecessary recitation of long swaths of the poetry. Those who do will be rewarded by Alfred Molina's rich tones and robust narrative style when the original poetry begins in Book One with "The rage of Achilles—sing it now, goddess, sing through me." Impeccable pacing and subtle inflections, along with plenty of vocal punch for the battle scenes and confrontational dialogue, make the sometimes coarse vernacular feel appropriate to what Mitchell calls the "spirit of the text." Let’s hope we get to hear Molina finish the story for us in THE ODYSSEY. S.G. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2011]