The Iliad is the first and the greatest literary achievement of Greekcivilization - an epic poem without rival in the literature of theworld, and the cornerstone of Western culture. The story centres on thecritical events in the last year of the Trojan War, which lead toAchilleus' killing of Hektor and determine the fate of Troy. But Homer'stheme is not simply war or heroism. With compassion and humanity, hepresents a universal and tragic view of the world, of human life livedunder the shadow of suffering and death, set against a vast and largelyunpitying divine background..Seven Greek cities claim the honour of being the birthplace of Homer (c.8th-7th century BC), the poet to whom the composition of The Iliad andThe Odyssey was attributed. The Iliad is the oldest surviving work ofWestern literature, but the identity - or even the existence - of Homerhimself is a complete mystery, with no reliable biographical informationhaving survived.E. V. Rieu initiated Penguin Classics with Allen Lane and his famoustranslation of The Odyssey was the first book published in the series in1947. The Iliad followed in 1950.
