Saturday, September 2, 2017

Hiatus on the Iliad, to work on the Inferno

I haven't posted since July, but I'm breaking radio silence now to let everyone know that I am temporarily taking a break from translating the Iliad. I have found it difficult to juggle my writing projects with my work and family life, and as a result, my work on the Iliad has caused my other project, a terza rima translation of Dante's Inferno, to stagnate. I am close to the end of that project, so I've decided to devote to it what little free time I have for writing.

I have basically finished writing the Inferno translation, and I am nearly done with the long revision process. I will try to continue to post regular updates on my writing, but I may not be able to post as many samples, since I will be seeking separate publication for the Inferno translation. You can check out samples from it here. I'll post a few stanzas from my most recently revised section, Canto 26, very soon.

I will return to the Iliad as soon as I am finished with the Inferno. But if you are disappointed that you won't be seeing anymore Homer for a while, please let me know! My thanks to everyone for your patience.

4 comments:

  1. dejahSeptember 12, 2018 at 4:44 PM

    I came across your translation of the Iliad today. It's so, so good. Do you intend to finish it? Please say yes! It's so much better than the other ones out there, and I love how true you stay to the poetic spirit of Homer. As a former classics major I can appreciate how much time and effort goes in to translating something like this. I do hope you publish it someday!

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  2. J. Simon HarrisSeptember 12, 2018 at 6:48 PM

    Thank you! I'm glad you like my work. I absolutely intend to finish the translation. I am currently finishing a PhD program and doing final revisions on my translation of Dante's Inferno. Unfortunately, it may take about six months or so before I am able to return to the Iliad, but I plan to finish it and eventually do the Odyssey as well.

    And thank you for taking the time to write this comment. It's really encouraging to know that people are stumbling across my work and enjoying it as much as you have. Although my blog posts these days are few and far between, I encourage you to follow this blog (or my Facebook page) to stay up to date on my work. I hope to begin writing with more regularity again after I graduate.

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  3. dejahSeptember 13, 2018 at 11:52 AM

    I'm so happy to hear you'll be continuing with the Iliad! A little encouragement never hurts, right? ;) I will definitely follow your blog. Good luck with the PhD!

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    Replies
    1. J. Simon HarrisSeptember 21, 2018 at 11:21 AM

      Thanks for following the blog! I hope you continue to enjoy my work. By the way, I just posted an original translation of Sappho's Fragment 58 if you are interested (since you like the classics).

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