This truly is a beautifully translated collection of Ancient Greek poetry that is accessible to those who may have struggled to read these hymns of antiquity, as well as the more well-versed reader.

First of all, and unrelated to the content of the book itself, I found the e-arc oddly formatted (I think it had to do with the footnotes)and it made reading and navigating the book a struggle.
This is a really cool book to have if you are interested in ancient poetry and religion. I don’t know if someone who is casually interested in Greek mythology would find it accessible or entirely relevant but I am no scholar and I still found it fascinating. If you love Greek history and the study of ancient classics, this is a terrific reference. But unless the published ebook sorts out the formatting, the print version would probably be a much more comfortable reading experience!

We are really excited to recommend this fantastic new translation of Greek poetry by Barry Powell. The poetry is beautiful but also accessible — a tough trick to pull off for Ancient Greek poetry. It’s a really valuable edition, in that it includes in one volume the Homeric hymns alongside the poetry of Callimachus, Proclus and others, organized by the Greek god to whom the hymns are dedicated and with significant introductory analysis and notes. The way it is organized, you get to see in each chapter 1000 years of devotional hymns to each god, so you not only get to appreciate the beautiful poetry but have considerable academic context within which to understand it and see the continuities and evolutions. It’s an impressive volume that we think lovers of poetry and of classical antiquity will appreciate.

This title is very well thought out. It begins with sections on aspects of poetry including meter and performance. There are also guides to the spelling of ancient names and places. Some illustrations and maps are also to be found within these pages.

Readers may already know that a hymn is a song and one that is generally addressed to, and about a god. There are many included here.

This title is organized by god enabling readers to see what different poets said about each one that is found here. I learned that these oral poets often included stock phrases, some I already knew and think are beautiful, as for example, the “wine dark sea.”

This title is published by an academic press. It is a volume that calls for the reader’s attention. I look forward to spending considerable time with it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

On Goodreads and amazon:

Goodreads and Amazon - 5 out of 5:
First off, my thanks to NetGalley and the U of California Press (Go Bears!) for an ARC ebook of this title.
Rereading Homer for the first time in over 40 years, I was not even familar with the Hymns previously. Named for Homer, but in all likelihood not a line of them were written by him.
I shuffled back and forth between this collection and Michael Crudden's Oxford Word Classics edition of "The Homeric Hymns".
But what makes this edition stand out is that Powell includes many other Hymns, not just the Homeric ones. There are hymns from Calimachus, Orphic, and a few by Neo-Platonist philosopher Proclus. The Hymns are gathered by god, rather than by poet. So if you are wanting to compare Powell to Crudden, it takes a bit (minimal) of searching - they are not provided numerically.
Excellent Notes and illustrations. Each god gets an Introduction, some short, some long (thanks for including the story of Ares and Aphrodite, and how Hephaistos shackled them to the bed - to be viewed, and laughed at, by the other gods!), each Hymn has a short Intro, and then the Hymn, again with additional Notes.
Powell's translations tend to be more casual, storytelling, Free Verse. At times when Crudden's translation's syntax made it difficult to understand, Powell's straight forward presentation made it easier to comprehand what was occurring.
A University Press publication, but very approachable. For anyone interested in Classical Studies, Greek Myth, or Homer, this is a great title to read. Again, the inclusion of more than the Homeric Hymns, and the Notes and various Introductions (I now know much more about the Eleusinian mysteries/religious cult than I ever expected to!) make it a unique, and valuable, volumn.
Loved it, and loved reading it.

Not something I expected but something that I honestly feel for in great lengths.
The style is honestly different from what I’m used to but honestly found it so easy to find myself lost in.

Really enjoyed this one, as I am a fan of greek myths and poetry. Powell does an excellent job and I enjoyed reading analysis and interpretations, as a fresh voice and perspective are always good when reading any kind of work. Overall, I would recommend this one to fans of classics, poetry, and grecian culture.

I was very excited when I found this book on Netgalley. Greek myths? Poetry? It sounds perfect! And for the most part, the poems included in this collection were interesting. Some of the more story-based poems were spoiled a little by the author presenting a full summary of the poem before presenting the text itself. I would like to have read the poem and *then* read the author's analysis, in order to draw my own opinions and interpretations first.

Also, the formatting of the eARC was *not* good, and I found it difficult to follow as I read.

Perfect for fans of classical Greek mythology and the Homeric hymns. Powell gives an analysis, etymology, and cultural context to the Olympians and Titans.