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Odyssey 6th (sixth) Printing Edition by Homer published by Penguin USA (P)
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Homer
4,751 books7,126 followersHomer (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.
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.
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May 14, 2024
Reigning in the Eagle: Comparing Translations
A story like the Odyssey can speak to every generation. "Sing for our time too," sweet Muse of Homer! One thing I noticed particularly this time through was the way Homer used the Eagle as a metaphor to describe Odysseus. And, in the end, the Eagle has to be reigned in a bit to make peace. I've reviewed The Odyssey (and The Iliad) back in 2019. At that time, I looked at a comparison of a few translations and chose the W. H. D. Rouse prose edition, which I really liked. But, I wanted to taste of a few other translations. I'm not really sure what translations I read as a child, since that was whatever the library had. There are many different translators available. I am not re-writing a review, but you can see my first review here for more on the story itself.
This time I discovered the translation by Robert Fagles, which is a poetic work that strives to maintain the form of the original. It is excellent, and I actually like it even better than Rouse. As I read, I compared with my copy of Rouse, and with a couple of copies I have of the translation by Samuel Butler. You might ask why so many copies? You can never have too many copies of Homer. But, the only reason I have two of Samuel Butler is because the first is a huge omnibus copy of The Iliad and The Odyssey together. The second Butler copy is The Illustrated Odyssey which is a lovely hardback with very good illustrations all through the work. In my opinion, the Butler translation is not as well done as the Rouse or the Fagles. The Fagles is my favorite, but you will also enjoy the Rouse probably, and it is in prose, rather than poetic form.
This pictured edition is the Fagles I read today. It is a nice sturdy paperback form which is very convenient for reading and marking. Also, the Fagles comes in the Audible format narrated by.... drumroll.... Ian McKellen; the voice of Gandalf in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and Magneto in the X-Men. In whatever format you choose, I highly recommend the Fagles translation. Other than that, I will leave you with one example. You can compare Fagles, Butler, and Rouse in this one passage from chapter three below.
A story like the Odyssey can speak to every generation. "Sing for our time too," sweet Muse of Homer! One thing I noticed particularly this time through was the way Homer used the Eagle as a metaphor to describe Odysseus. And, in the end, the Eagle has to be reigned in a bit to make peace. I've reviewed The Odyssey (and The Iliad) back in 2019. At that time, I looked at a comparison of a few translations and chose the W. H. D. Rouse prose edition, which I really liked. But, I wanted to taste of a few other translations. I'm not really sure what translations I read as a child, since that was whatever the library had. There are many different translators available. I am not re-writing a review, but you can see my first review here for more on the story itself.
This time I discovered the translation by Robert Fagles, which is a poetic work that strives to maintain the form of the original. It is excellent, and I actually like it even better than Rouse. As I read, I compared with my copy of Rouse, and with a couple of copies I have of the translation by Samuel Butler. You might ask why so many copies? You can never have too many copies of Homer. But, the only reason I have two of Samuel Butler is because the first is a huge omnibus copy of The Iliad and The Odyssey together. The second Butler copy is The Illustrated Odyssey which is a lovely hardback with very good illustrations all through the work. In my opinion, the Butler translation is not as well done as the Rouse or the Fagles. The Fagles is my favorite, but you will also enjoy the Rouse probably, and it is in prose, rather than poetic form.
This pictured edition is the Fagles I read today. It is a nice sturdy paperback form which is very convenient for reading and marking. Also, the Fagles comes in the Audible format narrated by.... drumroll.... Ian McKellen; the voice of Gandalf in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and Magneto in the X-Men. In whatever format you choose, I highly recommend the Fagles translation. Other than that, I will leave you with one example. You can compare Fagles, Butler, and Rouse in this one passage from chapter three below.
"As the sun sprang up, leaving the brilliant waters in its wake,
climbing the bronze sky to shower light on immortal gods
and mortal men across the plowlands ripe with grain" -Robert Fagles translation
"As the sun was rising from the fair sea into the firmament of heaven to shed light on mortals and immortals," -Samuel Butler translation
"The sun leapt out of the lovely bay, high into the brazen sky, to give light to the deathless gods and to mortal men all over the fruitful earth;" -W.H.D Rouse translation
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