Classical Literature in Translation

Achilles is the central figure in Homer's Iliad, a Greek epic poem that tells the story of the Trojan War.

Virgil is the author of the Aeneid, a Latin epic poem that tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan hero who flees Troy after the fall of the city and eventually founds the city of Rome.

Le Morte d'Arthur is a 15th-century prose romance by Sir Thomas Malory that tells the story of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. It is one of the most important works of medieval literature.

William Shakespeare is the author of the tragedy Hamlet, one of his most famous and influential plays.

Journey to the West is a 16th-century Chinese novel by Wu Cheng'en that tells the story of four young people who travel to the West in search of Buddhist scriptures. It is one of the most popular and influential works of Chinese literature.

Genji is the protagonist of The Tale of Genji, a Japanese novel written by Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century. It is considered to be one of the world's first novels.

The Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic poem that tells the story of the Pandavas and the Kauravas, two families who are vying for control of the kingdom of Hastinapura. It is one of the longest epic poems in the world.

Ferdowsi is the author of the Shahnameh, a Persian epic poem that tells the story of the kings of Persia from the mythical beginnings of the world to the Arab conquest of Persia in the 7th century.

One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is one of the most widely read books in the world.

Sundiata Keita is the protagonist of the Sundiata, an epic poem that tells the story of the founding of the Mali Empire in the 13th century.

Ollantay is a Quechua epic poem that tells the story of the Inca Empire. It is one of the most important works of pre-Columbian literature.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is the author of The Song of Hiawatha, an epic poem that tells the story of the Ojibwe people.

The Dreamtime is an Australian Aboriginal epic poem that tells the story of the Dreamtime, the time when the world was created.

Te Rangikaheke is the author of Te Arawa, a New Zealand Maori epic poem that tells the story of the Arawa people.

The Kumulipo is a Hawaiian epic poem that tells the story of the demigod Maui. It is one of the most important works of Hawaiian literature.