ODYSSEY : PENGUIN CLASSICS / E V & D C H RIEU TRANSLATI

by Homer

365 page paperback in the Penguin Classics Series. First published in 1946 and then reprinted many times and finally this one was reprinted in 1971. Homer The Odyssey with two covers in paperback.

Paperback

Published January 1, 2014

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

[Liberty · Rating 3 out of 5]

homer is so bad at getting to the fucking point like i’m sorry i do not care
odysseus gets worse everytime i read this i hate him so much

[Matthew McLeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. As if that was written nearly 3000 years ago. Had put reading off for many a year and I wish I hadn't.

This translation was a novel, which I think I preferred, but will re read a different translation at another point in life.

10/10 great story.

[Bernie4444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I long to be homeward bound,” Simon and Garfunkel

The Trojan War is over, and one of our hero kings is lost. His son (Telemachus) travels to find any information about his father’s fate. His wife (Penelope) must cunningly hold off suitors who are eating them out of house and home.

If he ever makes it home, Odysseus will have to detect those servants loyal from those who are not. One absent king against rows of suitors; how will he give them their just desserts? We look to Bright-Eyed Pallas Athena to help prophecy come true.

Interestingly, all the tales of monsters and gods on the sea voyage were told by Odysseus. Notice that no one else survives to tell the tale. Therefore, we have to rely on Odysseus’s word.

Many movies took sections of The Odyssey and expanded them into interesting stories in their own right.

Not just the story but also how it is told will keep you up late at night reading.

It is a tear-jerker when Odysseus returns, 20 years later, and the only one to recognize him is Argos, his faithful dog, who lived long enough to see him. Upon seeing his master return home, Argos dies.

You will, of course, want to buy the various translations to see the differences in reading style and content.

[Florence Ridley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Homer peaked with The Iliad. Odysseus’ habit of narrating his entire life story/fake identity in pages-long flashbacks twice a chapter is very boring. Then again, it could be argued that this is simply immersive; I certainly felt that, like Odysseus, I aged decades.

[Tidde Van Mourik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best een banger. De Ilias was echt ploegen maar hier vloog ik doorheen. Komt mede door het feit dat dit meer als een roman opgezet is maar vooral door echt een goeie vertaling

[Liam Rendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the same translator as the Iliad version I read but it felt so different