The Odyssey (Penguin Classics) [Hardcover] [2010] (Author) Homer, D. C. H. Rieu, Coralie Bickford-Smith, E. V. Rieu, Peter Jones

by Homer

Excellent Book

Genres: Mythology, Classics, Poetry

Hardcover

About the author

Homer (Greek: Όμηρος born c. 8th century BC) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the most revered and influential authors in history.
Homer's Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally. Despite being predominantly known for its tragic and serious themes, the Homeric poems also contain instances of comedy and laughter.
Homer's epic poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor. To Plato, Homer was simply the one who "has taught Greece" (τὴν Ἑλλάδα πεπαίδευκεν). In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Virgil refers to Homer as "Poet sovereign", king of all poets; in the preface to his translation of the Iliad, Alexander Pope acknowledges that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets". From antiquity to the present day, Homeric epics have inspired many famous works of literature, music, art, and film.
The question of by whom, when, where and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars remain divided as to whether the two works are the product of a single author. It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BC. Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity; the most widespread account was that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.

French: Homère, Italian: Omero, Portuguese, Spanish: Homero.

Reviews

[Maragoni Venkat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmmm.

[Sebastian Odutola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah it's pretty epic. I was under the impression that Homer's books were a drag, which is why I read the Steven Fry version of the Iliad. I was happily mistaken. The E.V./ D. C. H. Rieu translation reads incredibly swiftly. And in fact, the Fry retelling was dull and pedagogic in comparison.

The Greeks knew how to live, notwithstanding the pillage, looting and slavery. I propose we re-normalise three customs:

1. Giving strangers exorbitant hospitality before asking what business they are conducting: "Unyoke their horses at once and bring them to our feast...Do begin your meal. After you've dined we shall inquire who you may be." WHAT?? Feast first, ask after. A maxim to live by.

2. Giving Grecian compliments: "He slung a sharp sword from his shoulder, bound a stout pair of sandals on his glistening feet and strode from his bedroom looking like a god." By the by, that human-god quasi-parity is pretty wicked too.

3. Throwing javelin and discus. "The Suitors, in their high and mighty way, were amusing themselves outside with throwing the discus and javelin". Come on! What would suitors be doing today? Reading in public, scrolling on Instagram, taking photos in the gym mirror. Throw some javelin man!

The metaphors are original and the turns of phrase wonderfully direct: although I imagine this is also a function of the translation. I was particularly taken by the reconciliation between Calypso and Odysseus when, after Odysseus had declared his undying love for his wife, "the two retired to a recess in the cavern and there in each other's arms found pleasure in making love." (The Greek attitude to sex also seems pretty enlightened.)

It's story telling pure and simple and remarkably modern. Penelope's shroud is such a tragic and pretty image and the notion that a Swineherd, a cowherd, a child and Odysseus can take on 108 Suitors helped liberally by Pallas Athene is so aggressively absurd it attains a kind of surreal beauty.

Absolute must read, of course.

[Andreas Pieris-Plumley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit tedious at times, with a lot of repetition.

Overall I enjoyed it and it’s cool to see where a lot of these Greek legends I’ve heard growing up originated from.

You can also see how this epic would have provided teachings on morality and how to live a good life. Give kindness to strangers, provide them with food and gifts before even asking who they are and where they come from.

Women are portrayed pretty badly, which I guess is to be expected from a 2000+ year old text.

I’d recommend, especially if you like Greek mythology.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

STORY:
Books 1-13 = banger
Books 14 - 20 = tedious
Books 21-24

TRANSLATION:
- I enjoyed the added information available in the footnotes, although I will probably never learn ancient Greek I still think it’s cool that the translator explained some puns etc. that were in the original as well as the context given to
- Words that stood out: Minstrel, Bitch (including Bitch feels like double misogyny tbh)
- I listened to another translation parallel to reading this version and I enjoyed that the author decided to push the language into a more literary direction.
- I could hear the translator in this translation. There was sympathy awarded to Telemachus where other translations held back and there was a very clear lack of sympathy towards women in the writing (think subtleties such as word choice regarding crying when it comes to Penelope vs. Odysseus).

[Gustavo666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Embora seja um dos maiores clássicos da literatura mundial, eu nunca tive coragem de ler a Odisseia, pelo simples fato de que não me sinto atraído por poemas, quem dirá uma epopeia dessa extensão. Por muito tempo senti uma estranha culpa por isso, e também uma certa tristeza por saber que nunca teria disposição em encarar uma obra tão marcante na história.

E um dia, por acaso, eu descobri que existiam versões em prosa da Odisseia. Agi imediatamente. Procurei pela versão em prosa mais recomendada, e cheguei à tradução/adaptação de Rieu. Mas mantive os pés no chão: achei que, mesmo estando em prosa, considerando a época da trama, seria uma leitura bem arrastada. Sinceramente, eu não esperava ser tocado de forma tão profunda pela obra. Eu devorei a história em poucos dias, e agora percebo que sua sobrevivência aos séculos foi muito merecida.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

While a classic, the 1946 Rieu translation suffers greatly from its 19/20th century background, with dense text, flawed translation and Christian influence proving corrosive to the source text.

This edition not only bridges the lexical gap between the 20th and 21st century, making it much more digestible for the modern reader, but brings the translation closer to its Homeric roots, making for a much more genuine and gripping read. The introductory analysis in this edition is also very helpful if you plan to study the text for college/university. Definitely would recommend.

[Guy Beardsmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone that doesn't read a great deal and only began the book after listening to Epic (a musical based on The Oddyssey), I did not think i would have finish the book. However after selectively reading through the beginning of the book, serving as a guide for anyone unfamiliar to the story of oddyssius and the events surrounding the oddyssey.

I have got to say this remains the best book. I have read thus far. The story, flipping between odysseus trails sailing home and telemachus assisted search for his father's whereabouts, kept me enthralled. I found myself taking any opportunity to pick this book up and was very rarely disappointed with a chapter. it has sparked an interest in Greek mythology and am excited to go back to read the Illiad as I was unaware it is its predecessor when purchasing The Oddyssey.

Definitely a must read!

[Henry Wujek · Rating 5 out of 5]

While slow at times, Homer’s The Odyssey is an iconic tale of perseverance and human spirt. If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading or haven’t read it in a while definitely plan on picking this book up!

[sophiee · Rating 5 out of 5]

i mean it’s the odysee and it was my first time reading it and I think this version was pretty useful for this purpose because it’s rather settled on the side of understanding than the exact translation

[Arianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Telemachus my beloved

[Kyra Joyner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this translation of the book. I thought it was fairly simple and easy to follow along. This was my first time reading a copy of the Odyssey so I think the story by itself is very interesting to read when it comes to entertainment

[Olivia Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could really get into this a lot more, as a novel, compared to the Iliad.

[Samson Tausig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I had read in years… when I told people I was reading The Odyssey they kind of pulled a face that basically says - “But why Samson?”

I loved every single minutes of this, Penelope, Telemachus, Odysseus, Circe, Athena, Eumaeus and his Hut 🥹 the list goes on and on. I completely fell in love with Homer’s Epic Poem. I’m really glad I made notes on each chapter because It allowed me to really understand what was happening and get to know the characters better.

I originally read this because I thought the Christopher Nolan film was going to be released Summer 2025, well I got that wrong… We have a whole year to wait!