The Odyssey

by Homer, Robert Fagles (Translator), Bernard Knox (Notes)

1997 AVC CORPORATION set of 4 AUDIO CASSETTES

Genres: Classics, Literature, Mythology, School

560 pages, Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 1997

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

[Lauren Fee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Odyssey completed my reading of Fagles translations of Homer and Virgil’s Aeneid and I believe it was my favorite though I greatly enjoyed reading each of them and I look forward to future re-readings. The theme of hospitality reverberated throughout this book and it especially resonated with me in this season of my life as I currently reside outside of my home country in another culture that greatly values hospitality in a similar way. I also really loved the theme of the return of the rightful king. There were so many scriptural parallels with Jesus’ parables of faithful and unfaithful servants, justice, purification, and setting things right. Finally, I really loved the story that the Odyssey tells of the greater story seen through Odysseus having suffered many metaphorical deaths before he is exalted as well as Penelope who also “died” many times through the years in her grief and had to exhibit great self possession to be found faithfully waiting for Odysseus. I was inspired to similarly wait for my coming King. So much to love in this book. I highly recommend!

[Percy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy a single moment of it but I can’t stop thinking about it?????????

[Ulrike · Rating 4 out of 5]

so violently heinously misogynistic.

i just do not like the odyssey as much as the iliad. i also like the iliad section of the aeneid better than the odyssey section so i think this is just a preference that will stay.

fagles' translation here is also not as exciting to me as his iliad one. one day i shall read the wilson but also idgaf about the odyssey so.

hard to properly gauge my opinion on it because my reading of it is so scattered - know the story, obviously, read probably ten chapters or so for an epics class in my undergrad, and then realised earlier this year that i'm going to oxford for a classics masters and i haven't fucking read the odyssey in full. so i started it midway through the year and finished it months and months later, three months into my damn masters. so like i don't know what the hell's going on. and it's also totally irrelevent to my studies here because i'm writing about late republic/early empire roman literature.

glad i'm finished with it!

[Allison Tebo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely enjoyed it. (though I recommend it with caveats, due to content)

[Ian A Holcomb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my second annual re-read of Homer (I’ll have to read the Iliad later this year once I can get my hands on a physical copy of Fagles’s translation). Last year, I read Emily Wilson’s translation, this year was Robert Fagles, and I will say, regardless of translation, this story is one of my all-time favorites. Some elements may be products of their time, particularly the proclivity towards violence, the praiseworthiness of pillaging and plundering “non-god-fearing people,” the owning and poor treatment of slaves, and even the very deterministic way in which people of this time viewed their lives and actions (on that last note, I do wonder where the line gets drawn between a character’s free will and them being influenced by a god/goddess to act in that way, but that’s more a question for Plato or Aristotle than Homer), but the elements that ring true millennia later—being hospitable to strangers, fighting for honor, loyalty, and most importantly, the overwhelming longing to return home after a long time away—are what make the Odyssey truly heartfelt and timeless.

Beyond that, Odysseus’s account of his journey is harrowing, allowing us to see many mythical creatures, the Lotus-Eaters, the Cyclops, the Laestrygonians, Scylla & Charybdis, the Sirens, Circe, the sun-cattle of Helios, and even the Underworld. However, for it being so much of what people remember, it could very well be a figment of Odysseus’s imagination, as we only really hear the details from his perspective. It’s fun to mull on, but its veracity isn’t what makes it good, the way it’s told is which, funnily enough, bridges nicely to the aspects of the translation itself and the big question, which translation is better, Fagles or Wilson?

The answer is not so straightforward. I will say that I believe Wilson captures the emotional heart of the story better than Fagles, but at the same time, I believe Fagles’s use of elevated diction helps underscore the importance of certain ritualistic elements of the verse that simply don’t exist or are viewed the same way. For example, I found the opening Books with Telemachus to be far more compelling this time around than I previously did because Fagles’s verse put me in the correct mindset to really step into Telemachus’s shoes and see things from his perspective (for that reason, I truly think I will enjoy his translation of the Iliad, as I struggled heavily with Wilson’s translation on this point). When I read Wilson last year, Telemachus struck me as a whiny trust-fund baby sad that his trust fund was getting depleted.

One last thing, I will note Fagles’s choice of language surrounding women is questionable and even disturbing at times. He is quick to resort to “bitch”, “whore”, or “slut” when describing a “disloyal” woman, but the degrees of their disloyalty vary widely, and it does not discriminate between nobility and slave. Near the end, Odysseus has Telemachus kill the twelve disloyal female slaves. While one slave did actively help the suitors and betray Odysseus, the others elevens’ crimes were simply sleeping with the suitors or being rude to guests. Given they were simply trying to survive day-to-day, this rings of overkill for me, or should at least justify the eleven not being labeled the same as the one. The other big example was when we meet Helen of Troy. She scolds herself for being Paris’s wife in Troy with the line, “shameless whore that I was,” which is completely unjustified, as Helen was the victim of human trafficking committed by the gods (Aphrodite in particular). Even checking older translations, most translators just say “shameless that I was,” so Fagles’ choice is particularly bothersome here.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Preparing for new translation - reviewing the one I started with. Funny how glaring unacceptable things are now in my crotchety older age than when I was 18, when I was able to overlook things more easily.

[Jacob Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Engagement/Pacing - 7
2. Content/Ideas - 10
3. Characters - 7
4. Writing Style - 10
5. Personal Appreciation/Impact - 10

=8.8

I'm gonna give it a 10/10 anyway though because it's one of the most famous books of all time so I'd say it deserves a perfect score.

[Landen Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took a long time for me to finish, but this book was great from start to finish. No wonder it's called an epic, what a great story of twists and turns!

[Jessica Fyffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A re read. Brilliant book love it

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

History’s favourite unreliable narrator: Odysseus

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not read The Odyssey in school, so I am new to this world. I had no idea the extent to which the gods feature in Odysseus' journey or that the goddess Athena directs so much of the action.

Due to the new movie version coming out next month and the trailer just released the public conversation about translations has become intense. I do not read ancient Greek so I listened to the experts before choosing the Fagles' translation. I loved it: descriptive, fast-paced, detailed. I felt I was in on the action. And ok, the cover is gorgeous and totally drew me, too! I think, however, now that other voices have added themselves to the conversation I will reread this in a few years with the Wilson translation.

I made copious notes in my book and tabbed so many pages as if a paper was due.  But I couldn't help it I loved the story of Telemachus, the son, growing bold trying to hold down the family home against the forcefulness of his mother's suitors while his father was absent. I admired long-suffering Penelope who was able to keep the men of the town from forcing her to marry one of them as they ate up the herds and drank the wine belonging to Odysseus. 

Truth be told, I fell hard for Athena--I mean is there anything that goddess can't do??? She disguised herself as a sailor procuring provisions for Telemachus' voyage, gave almost everyone peptalks to keep them going, beseeched her father Zeus on Odysseus' behalf, then shapeshifted him to an old beggar man and then as a strong fighting king. And if all that wasn't enough she held back Dawn to lengthen the night so that Odysseu and Penelope could have a long first night home together. Athena, the bright-eyed one, is the Olympian you want on your side when the proverbial chips are down!

[Harris Silverman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Odyssey. Translated By Robert Fagles. Introduction and Notes By Bernard Knox.

It’s pretty hard to review Homer’s Odyssey, given that the book’s an established classic; nothing I say about it is going to change anything. I don’t know any Greek, either, so I can’t even comment on the translation, beyond saying that at times it seemed a bit stilted to me; but maybe that reflects the original.

That said, I was struck by the Jungian elements of the story, and I think it would be interesting to read a thorough, high-level analysis of it from that angle.

I would also note that the book is, to the modern reader, highly plot-based; and, while there is some portrayal of character, there is little character development, and little below the surface. It ain't Shakespeare, in other words.

The Introduction, by Bernard Knox, has a few useful insights, and the Translator’s Note at the end made the useful point that presenting an oral poem that may have had musical elements as written literature itself presents important questions and issues. Beyond that, all I can say is that the translation was well received, so it’s probably worth your while if you’re looking for a translation of this poem.

[Bernie4444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I long to be homeward bound,” Simon and Garfunkel - Alexander Pope's classic 1726 translation

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.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A verse translation this time! Wow, I haven’t read anything in verse in a long time. It was quite good, I could feel the cadence even reading in my head.

I thought the introduction was very interesting and helpful for someone who knows very little about Homer/Ancient Greece. I especially enjoyed the discussion about whether this was an oral tradition that was written down or a written poem. Knox writes that the repeated lines and lists of specific adjectives in front of each characters name suggests that parts of the poem were verbally composed. The performer would insert these stock phrases to even out the line meter.
So this came from an oral tradition, but I agree with him that the length and detail of the story feels that the author spent time writing and editing. The hypothesis that Homer was a prominent performer who picked up the new-fangled skill of writing felt compelling to me. He still uses the style he knows so well, but now can expand it even further, grow it out to be a great epic. Imagine how exciting that would be, to realize that you could take the art form to the next level.

[Francisco Cardona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, I always wanted to read the Odyssey, especially after reading Eric Auerbach’s opening chapter to Mimesis, “Odysseus’s Scar,” such a seminal text for Comparative Literature, damn, seems so long ago, he did such an amazing job with it that I never felt the need to read Homer, but now I plunged into the Odyssey and read the chapter that reveals the scar, and I’m taking back to all that early excitement of literature being revelatory and concealed and what means for how acts of recognition are manifested. So amazing, wish I had read this 30 years ago, but I got my own odyssey to fulfill

[Knitography · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the one hand, Homer is awesome and this is an excellent translation. On the other hand, Odysseus is a bit of a jerk and his cleverness is over-rated (I’m still mad at him for eating Polyphemus’s cheese, that was rude). Even with all of Odysseus’s many flaws, this was a compelling story - though the ending was a bit weak IMHO.

[Catcher Salazar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really dragged through the first quarter, with Telemachus’s first story, but my poetry professor told me to keep with it, promising me that it would pick up. She was right. Homer’s words flew so fast across the page, engrossing me in not only Odysseus’s epic but the shifting ethics of both gods and men.

Did Odysseus make all this up? Would it even matter?

Nervous for Nolan’s rendition…

[Catania Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What? Anything less than 5 stars for the Odyssey?!?!

Doi.

I haven't read other translations, but this one was engaging, clear, and bloody. A classic read. I read it aloud to my 14 and 12 year old, and they stayed interested the entire time. We *loved* the monologues.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Give the boy the name I tell you now. Just as I have come from afar, creating pain for many—men and women across the good green earth—so let his name be Odysseus…

The son of pain, a name he’ll earn in full.”

[Noah Markewitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit I’m only here rereading this for the Nolan movie, but that’s on me, this book rules. Super action packed and clever. It kind of drags a little when he gets back to Ithica, but makes up for it with the awesome ending.

[Corin Kraai · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bloody ending will always get a high rating from me…

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read books 9 and 11

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful translation. Robert Fagles, what a loss!

[Shumona Bhattacharjya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeously rendered. I became an instant Fagles devotee.

[Grace Malko · Rating 3 out of 5]

meh significantly less good than the Iliad imho

[Christian Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing, timeless tale

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a lot to say about this book. But I’ll say it later.

[Oscar Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t remember when I read this. Some time late 23? Quite fun and interesting. I just reread at some point.

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

As repetitive as those new netflix movies where they constantly retell you what just happened five million times.

[Victoria Bridenbecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story was wonderful when reading the stories of the gods narrated by Odysseus. I loved it!!