I haven't finished it due to it's difficult writing style, but it was fun and I hope to finish it some day. ( )

Details the adventures of Odysseus, king of Ithaca and hero of the Trojan War, as he struggles to return to his home and his waiting, ever-faithful wife, Penelope.

A beautiful poetic translation of Homer's Odyssey. One of my favorite poems and a seminal epic that should be read and reread. ( )

This is my fourth time reading The Odyssey, each time in a different translation. This version is by far the best. Emily Wilson has chosen a contemporary vocabulary and syntax that only rarely produces a jarring note. The poetic lines have an unforced rhythm that enhances the epic narrative. ( )

I re-read this one after about 10 years away... It was nothing like I remembered. It's violent, dark, and deeply disturbing. But it truly is a window into a culture a thousand years disappeared. ( )

No matter how many times I read the Odyssey, I'm always surprised at how little space is given to Odysseus's meanderings between Troy and his captivity with Calypso. The lotus-eaters get about a dozen lines, the sirens even fewer; the Laestrygonians accomplish their cannibalistic, fleet-wrecking revenge in less than a page. Meanwhile we get four whole books of Odysseus living it up with the Phaeacians (not that I ever get tired of hearing about the succulent roast meat, bread and wine) and seven books of caginess, dissembling, loyalty tests, and general crafty plotting from when he finally lands back in Ithaca to when he announces himself with that badass arrow-shot through the axe-heads.

My favourite moment will always be at the end of Book V, where Odysseus at his lowest ebb, exhausted and bedraggled having gone twelve rounds with Poseidon and only still alive thanks to the attentions of a passing naiad, crawls ashore on Scherie and beds down under the twin olive trees, covering himself in dry leaves. Just profoundly peaceful. Respite from the ever-terrifying ungovernable winedark sea. And of course the old "my name is Nobody" pranking of Polyphemus, ho ho. ( )

One of the greatest works of world literature in a fine new translation. A much more readable translation than I've read before, this is gripping and involving, a special experience. I listened to Clarities Dane's reading of it on Audible, and found it a real experience (I don't listen to books often). Danes' voice seems in tune with the translation, and was gripping. You don't want to put it down, but you also don't want it to end; tempting to restart it as soon as I finished. Very very highly recommended. ( )

I probably last read [b:The Odyssey|1381|The Odyssey|Homer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390173285l/1381._SY75_.jpg|3356006] at school, nearly twenty years ago. At that time it seemed much less appealing than [b:The Iliad|1371|The Iliad|Homer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1625333695l/1371._SX50_.jpg|3293141], which I adored. My preferences haven't changed completely since then, but I was excited to hear a woman had translated [b:The Odyssey|1381|The Odyssey|Homer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390173285l/1381._SY75_.jpg|3356006] into English and wanted to read it. [a:Emily Wilson|478455|Emily Wilson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s translation definitely gave me greater enjoyment and insight into the epic poem than the version I read at school. It opens with a thorough 90 page introduction and translator's note that prepare the reader well to appreciate the poem itself. I'm not usually keen on long introductions, but this one justifies its size by providing a great deal of interesting and useful context in a clear and readable style. I particularly liked this comment on her approach to translating such an ancient work:

My translation is written in a style that echoes the rhythms and phrases of contemporary anglophone speech. It may be tempting to imagine that a translation of a very ancient poem would somehow be better if it used the language of an earlier era. Mild stylistic archaism is often accepted without question in translations of ancient texts and can be presented as it were as a mark of authenticity. But of course, the English of the nineteenth or early twentieth century is no closer to Homeric Greek than the language of today. The use of a noncolloquial or achaicising linguistic register can blind readers to the real, inevitable, and vast gap between the Greek original and any modern translation. My use of contemporary language - rather than the English of a generation or two ago - is meant to remind readers that this text can engage us in a direct way, and also that it is genuinely ancient. [...] All modern translations of ancient texts exist in a time, a place, and a language that are entirely alien from the original.

Although I do enjoy a bit of archaic linguistic register, this is a thoughtful argument and I think the style of the translation is very well judged. I tested it out by reading aloud until my voice got tired. The fifty pages I managed were a joy to declaim, as the rhythm is excellent. I also found Odysseus and Penelope more interesting characters than I remembered. Odysseus is such a striking combination of heroic warrior, traumatised soldier, and lying snake. He is impressively manipulative and nothing he says should be entirely trusted. As Athena puts it:

"To outwit you
In all your tricks, a person or god
Would need to be an expert at deceit.
You clever rascal! So duplicitous,
So talented at lying! You love fiction
And tricks so deeply, you refuse to stop
Even in your own land. Yes, both of us
Are smart. No man can plan and talk like you,
And I am known among the gods for insight
And craftiness. You failed to recognise me:
I am Athena, child of Zeus."

Yet Penelope keeps up with him, as she is also clever and a consummate liar. This seems especially notable as a contrast to their son Telemachus. His immaturity is striking in comparison to his wary, worldly parents. I definitely paid more attention to characterisation reading this translation, whereas I mostly retained plot elements from reading at school. The voices of characters telling their stories, arguing their point of view, or threatening each other come through powerfully. More so than [b:The Iliad|1371|The Iliad|Homer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1625333695l/1371._SX50_.jpg|3293141], I think, [b:The Odyssey|1381|The Odyssey|Homer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390173285l/1381._SY75_.jpg|3356006] is a melange of stories rather than a single narrative. It's full of kindness and brutality, magic and mundanity, love and cruelty, humanity and transcendence. I found it a pleasure to read, both for this new translation and the sensation of rediscovery. Now I want to read [a:Caroline Alexander|59027|Caroline Alexander|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1310232012p2/59027.jpg]'s translation of [b:The Iliad|1371|The Iliad|Homer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1625333695l/1371._SX50_.jpg|3293141]. ( )

The second book in my Greek literature "Odyssey", I definitely got through this one quicker than the Iliad. There's less grand warfare and tragedy and pathos, and more fantastic adventure and happy endings. Everything works out in the end, the heroes get their reward and the villains their comeuppance.

It's interesting to observe that one of the oldest works of literature in the western canon is structured non-linearly - it feels like a pretty sophisticated literary device. But Homer is full of quirks of story-telling which would be at home in any modern novel or TV show: the dog who recognises his master after twenty years, the clever verbal trick Penelope uses to test her returning husband, the parallel storylines of Odysseus and his son.

On the other hand, there are moments which reveal the vast moral divide between modern society and the heroes of ancient Greece. Slaves play a prominent role in the story, and "good, loyal slaves" versus "bitter, disloyal slaves" is a major theme. The good slaves who remain loyal to Odysseus in his absence are fittingly rewarded (not with freedom of course, but with wives and houses of their own) while the disloyal slaves are punished...gruesomely. I can go along with our hero ruthlessly massacring the bullying, thieving suitors, but watching him mutilate and torture a slave is a bit much. Even his loyal slaves aren't fully safe. When the old nurse Eurtcleia recognises the returned Odysseus, he grabs her by the throat to prevent her from announcing his presence. The act shocked me...she may be a slave but she's also practically his grandma. And it's not the only time he treats her unkindly. I've seen that somebody has written this story from Penelope's perspective, but I'd be interested in this story from Eurycleia's point of view.

I imagine Homer had no interest in challenging the social structures of his time through his work. Thus, the slave's position in society is reinforced, good slaves lauded, bad slaves punished, and their owners rightfully have full power over their lives.

Another such moment is Telemachus's interactions with Penelope. His transition to manhood is another theme of the story, and to demonstrate this, the narrative has him begin to order his good mother around, on occasion even sending her to her room. While I presume this was originally intended to demonstrate his maturity by showing him taking his rightful position of authority in the household as an adult man, it's jarring to a modern reader who is likely - even as an adult - to treat their own mother with a certain degree of respect, especially when residing in her household.

In some ways dated, in others surprisingly modern, this read is an interesting adventure into the stories that have shaped our culture for over two thousand years. ( )

My original reading/review of this book is from 2021, during my high Loyal Christian Reformist period: when I was trying to be well-read/relatable/compassionate/and calm-and-orderly. This seems to me to be now like deciding to be a short one-dimensional circle that is 4D and very tall, you know. I have since decided to ‘return’ to the ‘pagan’ (magickal) path I expressed an interest in as a teenager just past 20, you know—if you follow—but (though no other person can affirm this, only me and the Gods), I never really belonged to it then, right. Then again, maybe I was never a Christian—as I discussed, yesterday, I guess. I was certainly once a Christian’s child; I was also once a sorta Eight of Cups person, but never one who surrendered the ability to decide to the ‘biblical tradition’; nor did I aspire to and sigh over tribal bigotry. (Perhaps class bigotry had me in its clutches, though: lol.)

But yeah: I’ll have to read over my original review whenever I reread the book, right. I read it as a Christian liberal educated conformist impatient with ethnic Christianity and snobbery, right—so by no means all of my comments would have been worthless. Much of Homer was quite rape-y; that the Greece of the written texts was patriarchal is beyond reasonable dispute—it’s like climate destabilization, or something, right…. But yeah: it could be curious to see how the Masks of the Goddess and God displayed themselves in a world of…. Cray cray rape-y guys, right. (shrugs)

Anyway.

Translator E.V. Rieu, late 1940s.

The very first thing that stood out to me was how little of the story focuses on Odysseus' adventures getting home. Only about 1/6 of the book focused on things like the cyclops and the sirens. There was another decent chuck on the more mundane parts of the journey from when he leaves Calypso to landing on Ithaca. Even so, that probably accounts for maybe 1/3 covering the journey.

The Odyssey is about the suitors, their knavery, and their eventual destruction at the hands of Odysseus, Telemachus, and the loyal servants.

With Odysseus disappeared and assumed dead, a bunch of men decide to try to Marry Penelope, Odysseus widow. Penelope is not interested, but the large group of suitors continue their "suit" by partying at Odysseus' house every day consuming the inheritance of Telemachus, Odysseus' son. And sleeping with the maids.

It seems a little odd that a man would try to convince the lady of a house to marry him by sleeping with her maids. The suitors are depicted as not truly interested in Penelope, but in Odysseus' wealth. So it probably isn't just me finding that behavior odd.

Telemachus, on reaching adulthood, is disgusted by the behavior of the suitors and wants to get rid of them. There are too many for him forcefully remove. The suitors also claim this would all be solved if Penelope just married one of them. So their behavior and consumption of Telemachus' property is all really her fault. So, with some prodding by Athena, he sets out to find his father. The suitors then decide they should kill Telemachus so they can just claim the property and divide it among themselves.

Telemachus visits his father's friends from the Trojan war and finds news that his father is quite possibly still alive despite being missing for 9 years.

The gods of Olympus, sans Poseidon, also decide it is time for Odysseus to go home. They send Hermes to tell Calypso to let Odysseus go.

Interesting bit from Hermes telling Calypso of the decision, "...you gods who cannot bear to let a goddess sleep with a man, even if it done without concealment and she has chosen him as her lawful consort," and then proceeds to give some examples. While it doesn't specifically mention it, it is pretty clear she is calling out a double standard in how the gods lay with mortal women all the time and it's no big deal. The instant a goddess goes for a mortal man? Oh ho ho, that is too far. The gods proceed to deal with the situation, typically killing the man.

Odysseus takes a boat to go home, Poseidon finds him on the waters, and smashes the boat. Odysseus manages to swim ashore, finds help, tells the locals his story of wild adventures, and then gets shipped off home. This is about halfway through.

The story then follows Odysseus and Telemachus bringing down the suitors.

The main gist of the Odyssey, at least to me, was about proper behavior. It is very much a moralistic piece.

The first, and most prominent, about how to be a host and how to be a guest.

Both the good and the bad is displayed throughout both Odysseus' and Telemachus' journeys. Menelaus is a good host. Polyphemus is a bad host. Circe starts as a bad host, but becomes a good host. Telemachus is a good guest. The suitors are bad guests.

It does get a bit muddled at times, though. How is Odysseus' crew not bad guests to Polyphemus? They don't overstay themselves, but they do just take like the suitors do. Odysseus does wish to great and speak with the fellow the crew takes from, but ultimately they did just rob him.

I do think the difference is about how long the uninvited guests stay. Odysseus and his crew are a single night. The suitors have been at their partying for years.

Another aspect is treating beggars and travelers well. The suitors' mistreatment of Odysseus disguised as a beggar is treated as the final proof of their knavery and villainy. Generally speaking, treating travelers, beggars, and those under you well is considered virtuous.

Those are the main moralistic lessons I picked up from it.

An interesting aspect, not directly related to the Odyssey, was a comment from the translator. He makes a comment about how some of the actions taken seem brutal to a 20th century audience, but this 20th century audience had just come through 2 World Wars. Are we really better or do we just pretend to be?

u proznom prevodu P. Papakostopulosa

Emily Wilson's translation is excellent. My favorite part from the story is when Odysseus picks up the bow and starts inspecting it. The suitors get more and more concerned. That would have been a good spot to play the Avengers music :)

I give it 5 'no man' maneuvers out of 5 'no man' maneuvers. ( )

It's just such a lovely translation of one of my favourite books. ( )

Reread after 20+ years. Strange how superstitious people were in antiquity. Hard to imagine believing gods could be so interactive in your life. Chybylla? and Cyclops were my favorite episodes though I thoroughly enjoyed every trial that O went through.

My updated version of 1946 book was very outdated as far as scholarship though the authors commentary was well organized and thought through.

Great translation that illuminates slave culture and women’s issues ( )

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-odyssey-by-homer-tr-emily-wilson/

I got myself this as a late Christmas present, having read positive reviews and also having slogged through a couple of other translations. I was familiar with the high points of The Odyssey, which is fairly approachable, if oddly structured. But this is definitely worth getting. I really appreciated Wilson’s paring down of the language to take only as much space as the original words – most other English translators seem to have been rather verbose (cf Lawrence and Chapman above, three centuries apart).

As you would expect, given where Wilson is coming from, she boosts the voices of the women characters more than other translators do – and let’s bear in mind that Odysseus has love affairs with Calypso and Circe, and less explicitly with Nausicaa, while poor old Penelope has to stay faithful to him despite his years of absence. I also felt I got a much better sense of Telemachus here.

The book comes with an 80-page introduction and another 12 pages of preliminary notes, and it’s really worth it – a very good survey of both the society which the poem depicts, and the efforts that others have made to interpret the text for later times and places. And crucially the language is crystal clear. I have been told that this is now the standard translation used to teach The Odyssey, and I can see why. ( )

I'm no Greek scholar but I can read English, and know when a writing transfixes me. It's been about 45 years since I read Richmond Lattimore's translation of the Odyssey, and while that was comprehensible it never captivated my like this. Suddenly the energy of Homer (whoever he/they was/were) leapt from the beautifully presented papyrusesque pages, and I knew at last why Homer is important. I'm not qualified to say anything more than "thank you, Emily Wilson, for your translation, and oh the gods, your Introduction is inspirational in its own right." ( )

I finally read the Odyssey after sitting in my shelf for a long time.
This version is translated by Roger Fagles.
Description of the book:
"So begins Robert Fagles' magnificent translation of the Odyssey.
If the Iliad is the world's greatest war epic, then the Odyssey is literature's grandest evocation of everyman's journey though life. Odysseus' reliance on his wit and wiliness for survival in his encounters with divine and natural forces, during his ten-year voyage home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, is at once a timeless human story and an individual test of moral endurance."
I have seen many movies of the Odyssey and I felt the book and the movies were very close.
Quite and adventure and a book worth a re-read. I recommend readers add it to their classic reads. ( )

For me the best of Homer is his battle scenes. Sharp bronze plunging through sinews and sockets, limbs severed and bones crushed, and so on. I don't normally think of myself as a bloodthirsty sort of person, but then it's all mythological, so it's all good. The Iliad, now, is great for that sort of scene, but The Odyssey... not so much. There's a lot more sitting around and chatting, so for me not as enjoyable.

I read the Lattimore translation, said to be closest to the original Greek in meaning, but not as poetic as the Fagles perhaps. ( )

Haha, who am I to rate Homer?! So funny!

In my opinion, Homer's work is a beautiful love story, Shakespearean before there was a Shakespeare.
My beef is the tediousness of Odysseus' trials and tribulations but that's just a matter of opinion. In the 21st century, we desire expedience but something has to be said about the titillating slowness of 750 BC.
The Greek gods, popping in and out, are amusing and entertaining. Humans, mere mortals, are puppet-like to their will. Hmm, but are they really?
Odysseus's journey somewhat mirrors our own. In that way, the novel/poem is adaptable to every age and thus makes it a classic for the ages. ( )

First off, it is what it is, a heroic epic written back in the day when heroes were brave warriors, period. Not much introspection, not much of the 'good guy' we've come to expect in our own culture. It's not unlike Beowulf in that sense, or The Tain, although the cultures are very different. I liked The Odyssey better than The Iliad (which bored me to tears with all that monotonous description of battle). It seems strange that these epics were composed by the same person, because they are so different. The Iliad has so much more focus on action rather than character. And at least the Odyssey gives us some POV of the women, Penelope and Nausicaa and Circe for instance. And the violence is limited to pretty much the last few chapters, with no descriptions of eyes popping out or intestines strewn on the ground like the Iliad.

I first read this back when I was in the sixth grade, perusing the library for things to read. I couldn't get through the Iliad at that time but I enjoyed the adventures of the Odyssey. Our town library had had a story time featuring the Greek myths, so I was familiar with the gods and goddesses. I re-read both in college, the Fitzgerald translation, I think? And now I have read them again, in my mid-fifties. Fagles translation this time. I still enjoyed The Odyssey, although it sits less well with modern sensibilities, and there's some cultural mores that I wish I knew more about (Penelope being forced to endure the suitors, for instance). I hadn't remembered that there was such a long portion in Telemachus' POV. In some ways, it's as much about him as it is about Odysseus. Telemachus comes of age, at first searching for his father and finally fighting by his side to eject the parasitical suitors from their home.

In any case, one of the cornerstones of Western literature. ( )

So I decided to make this my big classic read for Dewey's Readathon, which means I read this in more or less a single sitting. The advantage was not losing momentum/familiarity while taking weeks or months to finish this. The disadvantage was getting. little antsy. Not a big price to pay.

This was a lovely read! The translation was almost shockingly readable. It really was fascinating how familiar almost all the story beats were, yet how surprised I still was by how the story unfolded.

So glad I finally read this. ( )

To be quite honest, I hated this book. Not only because of the language, but because the story was confusing and boring. Do not read this book unless you want to end your life. Period. ( )

An almost startlingly approachable translation. As others, including Ms. Wilson, have written, the translation brings out the complexity of Odysseus' character. I haven't read The Odyssey in a long time, so I'm not sure if it also brings out the violence in the story or if I had merely forgotten it. ( )