Zachary Mason

A very pleasant weekend activity in Edinburgh: browsing the shelves of the Central Library, filling up my library card with new books, crossing the road to the National Library of Scotland, then drinking tea in the café there while reading a just-borrowed book. Today this was the book and I greatly enjoyed it. I love the Iliad and Odyssey, so gravitate towards re-tellings and variations upon them. This one is unusual as it takes the form of 44 little vignettes, some of which are barely more than a paragraph with a punchline. Amongst these ‘lost books’ are possible explanations for how the Odyssey was composed, tales that weave it into other mythologies (Eygptian, Hindu), and versions set at different times in history. The overall effect is somewhat Borgesian, as you feel rather like you’re pulling books off the Odyssey shelf of [b:The Library of Babel|172366|The Library of Babel|Jorge Luis Borges|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1213638002s/172366.jpg|2235183] and reading a few pages of each. Inevitably, some chapters were more compelling than others, although the whole hung together very well. My favourites did something fresh with the Iliad rather than the Odyssey as such; I have always preferred the former. I particularly liked the variation in which Achilles was a golem. Also memorable were the re-tellings from unexpected points of view: Medusa, for instance, gets a very neat little vignette. Others were slightly too abstract, although all were deftly and fluidly written.

As ever, I was left yearning to re-read the Iliad and thinking about the lasting appeal of Homer's tales. I recently tried to articulate this to a friend and it’s difficult. There is a universality related to the emotions of the characters, I think, combined with a mythic nobility. Thus even modern readers can make some connection with these figures, whilst also seeing their stories as metaphors. But what do I know? Literary analysis is not my academic discipline. Nonetheless, I have noticed that Odysseus seems to be a popular figure for modern re-tellings of ancient Greek stories to focus on - although I can never remember their bloody titles, overshadowed as they are by Homer. In the Iliad, Odysseus seems perhaps more comprehensible and less alien to the modern sensibility. Compared to his fellow warriors, he is less concerned with honour, or at least more willing to interpret it flexibly. He is distinctive for his intelligence and cunning, rather than reckless disregard for his own safety in pursuit of glory. The latter is harder to comprehend today, although it still retains an appealing aura. ‘The Lost Books of The Odyssey’ make Odysseus a liminal figure, more symbol than man. The cultural significance of Homer’s epics supplies the book’s backbone and the central question that it asks: how did Odysseus' story come to have such significance, and why?… (more)

The Lost Books of the Odyssey is a fascinating and seductive debut book. It retells the traditional Homeric tale of the hero Odysseus and his arduous return trip following the fall of Troy. In it the Trojan War is retold alongside flashbacks as Odysseus travels from Troy to Ithaca. The chapters flow with witty turns or neat bows, more in the style of a short story writer.

The book is a deft and subtle translation of Greek literature for the present day. Personhood, storytelling, memory, and self-awareness are some of the subjects it examines. According to how much light the story decides to shed, Mason's characters can change shape and become elusive, just like the ones in Homer's original.

The traditional Homer stories are transformed into new episodes, fragments, and revisions using beautiful prose, a vivid imagination, and stunning literary skill. When read as a whole, these additions expose the timeless Greek epic to countless resonant interpretations. The Lost Books of the Odyssey is It is laced with wonderful wit, elegance, and playfulness.

I found that it was worthwhile, but only for those who have already read Homer's original epic saga.… (more)