THE ODYSSEY.

by E V. Rieu

Homer's The Odyssey is an epic that has endured for thousands of years, and this Penguin Classics edition is translated by E.V. Rieu, revised by D.C.H. Rieu, and contains an introduction by Peter Jones. The epic tale of Odysseus and his ten-year journey home after the Trojan war forms one of the earliest and greatest works of Western literature. Confronted by natural and supernatural threats - from the witch Circe who turns his men into pigs, to the twin terrors of Scylla and Charybdis; from the stupefied Lotus-Eaters to the implacable enmity of the sea-god Poseidon himself - Odysseus must test his bravery and native cunning to the full if he is to reach his homeland safely. But the danger is no less severe in his native Ithaca, as Odysseus finds himself contending with the suitors who, in his absence, have begun to surround his wife Penelope... E.V. Rieu's translation of The Odyssey was the first Penguin Classic to be published, and has itself achieved classic status. For this edition, Rieu's text has been sensitively revised and a new introduction added to complement his original introduction.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Mythology

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1951

Reviews

[Tammie · Rating 3 out of 5]

How does one even begin to rate a classic? Obviously classic tales and tropes but man, I didn't like Odysseus' (or the Greeks') misogyny, but also he's kind of annoying. And also having the most deus ex machina of all plots because why bother fighting so hard anyway if you're one of Athena's favourites and have main character armour and are divinely protected?

Anyway, I realised the version I read is a prose interpretation which made reading so much easier 😅

[Jonathan McPherson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m mad at this translation. Get your monotheistic exclamations out of my polytheistic mythology book/poem. I should not have to see someone say “dear God” (yes capital G god) in a story that pre-dates the Torah.
Homer cooked though.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I locked tf in! Can't really say im surprised I loved one of the most famous books ever :)

[v · Rating 3 out of 5]

every time i read a classic, i struggle with reviewing it.

on one hand, the odyssey has influenced so much of the literature that followed it. on the other, since we’ve now seen this same structure so many times, it can be hard to connect with it, from a modern lens. i chose to read the novel version since i had it lying around the house, and much of the story felt formulaic to me simply because of the times we live in. a call to action, a journey, trials, and a return home. we’ve read it so many times that i feel only people who have a profound interest in greek epics and myth can enjoy this.

the characterisation of everyone save for odysseus, particularly the female characters, felt flimsy to me. i’ve dog eared the number of pages with misogynistic overtones (odysseus hanging the twelve female servants at the end being the most haunting) and despite the criticisms aimed at the women in nolan’s recent adaptation of the movie, it doesn’t feel as they have much prominence in the original writing either.

the hero’s journey also felt tedious enough that i had to fight through the book simply for wanting to go into the movie with context. safe to say, i was even less impressed by that, but i would still not call reading this a pleasant experience.

[Anya Potsiadlo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished just in time for watching the movie (in imax 70mm!!!!!) tonight!! Cant say i would recommend this translation above others and i was honestly kind of lazy with my reading of this book but whenever i got into it i honestly did find it to be enjoyable, just when i put it down i wasnt eager to pick it back up. My main thought the whole time was how cool this will be to see on screen.

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent tale of adventure and fantasy. I really enjoyed this translation how it made it feel as “if” it had been written originally as a novel.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true epic. Very glad I read before seeing the movie!

[Szymon Boczon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is interesting, however there is too much fodder. I swear every time Odysseus or Telemachus get hosted they do story recap and it's tiresome. The worst is when Odysseus makes up a story and you know it has no relevance to the plot but you must read it irregardless. I like the adventure and mythology part of the story though. The language used is also interesting.

Also, why does everyone give this man so many gifts.
And ok why do they rush the ending. They spent so many pages with useless stuff but the final conflict gets ended in 1 page???

[Kah Yen · Rating 4 out of 5]

first off i would like to say that my knowledge of greek myths and history is not strong so my review will not touch on the accuracy of translation or depth of the stories told. also, i watched the movie about 2 weeks before reading this book, so unfortunately my perspective on the book may be biased... (curse of watching the movie first... but if i had read the book first it would have affected the movie... especially after seeing emily wilson's review of the movie... luckily i did not read the book first.) in this review i will not focus on comparing the book to the movie. maybe i will do that after rewatching the movie.
this was a very fun read, it was especially interesting to read about odysseus's encounters with cyclops (i love the 'nobody' part of this story), the laestrygonians, and circe. i had previously read the book 'circe' by madeline miller so it is interesting to compare them. while the language used in the book is definitely not modern, it was not difficult to read or understand the text at all. the pacing was smooth. there was definitely a recurring theme of temptation in this book, like with circe and helios. odysseus is actually quite a smart guy, he survived through everything he experienced (which is like crazy) just by thinking, and also because he had athena on his side...

anyways, here is an interesting article
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/2...
(hello?? the athena disguising as men and that quote 'Athena knows only too well that it is men who hold power on earth, but women who shape events through subterfuge' how did i miss that)

i read this over quite a long period of time, so my memory of previous chapters when reading is not great. i think i definitely have to reread this to deepen my understanding.

i also hope to read emily wilson's translation as it is in poem form not prose which i feel is better suited for this story

i am also interested in the different translations - i wonder how they differ. would be cool to read them all...

[Devlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A survivor of the war at Troy gets lost at sea and is confronted with various challenges and obstacles delaying his progress to his home and family.

The Premise:
Telemachus, son of Odysseus, has to manage the infringement of many suitors for his mother's hand in marriage as they make use of his home and consume his food and drink. He is counseled to travel throughout Greece and visit his father's friends to gain some knowledge of his whereabouts. Penelope, wife of Odysseus, is being courted by many suitors but, deeply in love with Odysseus, does not want to marry any of them and has to think of schemes to keep them at bay while she awaits her husband's return.
Odysseus, having earned the wrath of Poseidon, is prevented from returning home and forced to confront many obstacles, some helpful, some deadly, and some seeking to keep him trapped, as he tries to get to his home of Ithaca.

Thematic Analysis:
The gods play a much diminished role here than in the Iliad, and I believe this is because when dealing with everyday trials, it is our wit and wisdom that allow us to advance. There is a poignant scene where living a life of glory is questioned and where we are asked how much faith we are willing to put in our loved ones. Some of the problems Odysseus faces are of his own design, born of excessive ego, and it tempts us to believe we would behave differently.

Critique:
The story does end on an abrupt note, which I found unsatisfying. E. V. Rieu does an excellent job of switching between the stories of Telemachus, Penelope, and Odysseus, giving us insight into their motivations.

Recommendation:
I would recommend this for anyone wanting to experience classical literature or for anyone wanting a story with an interesting hero that makes the reader interested in discovering how he overcomes the challenges he faces.

[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.

[Teddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Odysseus’ journey is truly epic and lurid, given the horrid circumstances that befell his crew members. It far outweighs whatever traumas of war described in The Iliad. That being said, it was galling to get through, in my opinion. It had many instances where it was interesting and captivating, but a lot more redundant and interminable descriptions. From every beguiling tale told be Ulysses himself, to the infuriating disasters that the gods kept dealing the poor man, I felt like grabbing Homer by the throat and yelling, MAKE IT STOP! One thing I’ll say is that the effect it gives of the arduous journey of Odysseus and the long wait suffered by Penelope and Telemachus really came through. I refused to watch the adaptation before reading the work, and I’ll say this: The Odyssey is indeed worth a read, but you have to have the same inexhaustible patience of Penelope to see it through. Worth it? The Iliad, yes. The Odyssey… as a rite of passage, maybe. Happy Reading x

[Justin Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a reason why this is considered a classic. One of the most important pieces of literature of the western world of the past 3,000 years. Having read this during sophomore year when I was 15/16, it was cool coming back to it as an adult. And of course, Christopher Nolan did a phenomenal job on his adaptation.

I didn’t remember the prominence of gods and goddesses in this. They are all over the place, and have seemingly endless powers, doing with and to humans whatever they deem fitting or satisfactory. I could’ve sworn the sirens section was longer than one paragraph. And man, that cyclops scene is intense and disturbing. (So well done in the film too!)

Also noticed a fun little treat in this translation, at which point I paused my reading and went down a rabbit hole on Chat, regarding Achilles and Hades losing its sting, and the contemporaneous prophecy penned by Hosea, and the subsequent callback by Paul in his first letter to the church in Corinth. Really cool connection there.

So impressed by Homer. I wish there were more stories or epics like this from this historical time period or earlier. But seriously, what a stud. The Iliad then The Odyssey. Well done, good sir! ◡̈

[Ken Loft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely impressive sophomore effort from a promising young author, can't wait to OdysSEE what Homer comes up with next!

Thanks E.V. Rieu for your thoughtful translation which in my opinion is very good and fun to read.

[Dylan Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed how readable this translation was, and captured a lot of the imagery and xenia i remember reading in high school. Ending where he slowly plans how to defeat all the suitors really dragged.

[Victoria Bridenbecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm impressed with Homer, the author himself, for writing this epic book. Go and check this out if you like Greek mythologies.

[Nylon Tufnel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic is a classic. The repeating epithets grew on me and thought they were funny, especially the ones surrounding Dawn. Climax was crazy even though you know it’s coming.

[Abhinav · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece of ancient literature. Nothing more to say