The Odyssey

by Homer (Translator)

"The Odyssey" is a classical epic poem about the events following the fall of Troy and the end of the Trojan War which is generally thought to have been written at the end of the 8th century BC. The story centers on Odysseus and his ten year journey to reach his home of Ithaca, following the Trojan War. Odysseus's death is assumed during this long absence, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of suitors, the Proci, who compete for Penelope's hand in marriage. Generally attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer, "The Odyssey" is a sequel to "The Iliad" and is considered one of the most important works of classical antiquity. Presented here in this edition is the prose translation of Samuel Butler.

Genres: Classics, Poetry, Mythology, Fiction, Literature, Fantasy, Greek Mythology

170 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 801

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

[Sense of History]

Just like with the Iliad last month, I read it in three translations simultaneously (one English and two Dutch). And again, it was the play with temporalities that stood out. Odysseus's story unfolds across several time periods simultaneously. For starters, the Odyssey follows the Iliad, literally continuing it, and the Iliad even seems to interject itself into this narrative at regular intervals. Even Odysseus's subsequent adventures, the difficult return, are largely told in retrospect. But not entirely: part of it also takes place in real time, in the present. And finally, both the middle and the end of the epic foreshadow what follows, something not really included in the Odyssey: the prediction that Odyssey will have to leave again.

In an essay appended to Emily Wilson's English translation, Laura Slatkin puts it succinctly: “The Odyssey, as it moves back and forth, gives us the simultaneous perspective of many time-frames: the limitless framework of the gods, the lifetime of Odysseus, the protracted return, the sudden maturation of Telemachus. The narrative sequence of the remainder of the poem, though more strictly chronological, displays a complementary virtuosity of concentration, counterpointing discretion and disclosure in the actions of Odysseus and Penelope until the Odyssey’s ultimate closure is achieved in the crucial convergence of events on a single day.”

Once again, a nonlinear narrative, also temporally. This once again highlights the mastery of the early Greek storytellers. Of course, there's so much to say about this epic attributed to Homer. For a more comprehensive review, see general account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

[Madison Head · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this translation of The Odyssey. I loved the other version I read, but I understood so many more nuances from this version. She makes it accessible and simple. Odysseus is the craziest main character in the world. He is the worst, but also so powerful. At all times, either he is making things worse for his crew, or his crew is making things worse for him, but I can’t blame the crew because I wouldn’t trust Odysseus either. Love.

[Garima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously one can't attempt to review it but this feeble try, to express the beauty disguised as words, is just to honour the undeniable craft and artiste of a writer so revered.

It is one of the most beautifully composed creation with not a single slump through this adventurous voyage. Odyssey (or Ulysses) as we know, is perfect in his craft and it is surreal how that transcends through Homer's pen as well. Throughout the poem/prose, the writing style and the adventures are very well versed with its protagonist which was something that completely swooned me.
For when you read the Iliad, there's a difference in the tone of the verses as well, which is more textured with its context and its main leads; while Odyssey is intelligent and witty, personifying the tale to its most mesmerising self. Ah, the genius of an immortal artist.

The adventures thus covered are again absolutely perfect, be it the graphic vividness of death or the various legends encountered, be it the extremely cunning Circe, the ruthless Cyclopes, the enchantingly vicious Sirens or the scary lands of Hades.
As Odyssey embarks through this journey back to his home, he brings along a tale full of dread, adventure, violence, love and wit. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest Greek heroes and this tale justifies it even more.

This will stay with me forever.

[Emma Shank · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 really did not sparkle with me like I had hoped it would.

[Kerry Pickens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new translation of the epic journey home from war for Odysseus, and the literature archetype for all adventure stories. I listened to this version on audiotape, which is 19 hours of poetry. It’s good if you are on a long trip don’t want to listen to anything that you don’t already know how it ends.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dream blunt rotation: Emily Wilson, Jorge Rivera-Herrans, and Madeleine Miller and we’re talking about democratizing the classics!!!!! Absolutely loved this translation by Dr. Wilson — it is clear, it is musical, it is witty and I can appreciate the very specific choice of words she uses and why. The modern, more simple and contemporary language makes the task of reading this classic much less intimidating and much more accessible, which they should be.

As she hints in the introduction, Homer has a great sense of humor and her translation, while serious and with gravitas, showcases this witty humor throughout. Very very thoroughly enjoyed The Odyssey, with the introduction serving as a guiding compass for some of the key themes explored including Xenia/hospitality rules, colonization and early western concepts of what ‘civilized’ and ‘civilization’ entails, meaning of manhood/coming of age, and the role of slaves and social status throughout the story.

Final thought is that if in Nolan’s adaption Odysseus or someone around him isn’t crying and sobbing every other minute, I will consider it an unfaithful adaption.

[Erika Bargamotov · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Odyssey sparked an interest to me when I was required to read parts of the book during my freshmen year. I’ve always had an interest in Greek mythology and after completing that unit, I was eager to read the entire book. When I saw The Odyssey listed as a choice book, I took the opportunity to read it. Majority of the book was enjoyable, but there were aspects that made me feel like this book wasn't for me.
The events that were life-or-death situations were interesting and action-packed. The version I read by Samuel Butler was written in modern English, so the book was easier to understand. Samuel Butler described the events vividly which made the read more enjoyable as well. Multiple scenes such as: Ulysses and his men trapped in Polyphemus’ cave, staying with Circe, encountering Charybdis and Scylla, fighting Penelope’s suitors, etc. were exciting and I couldn’t put the book down until the scene ended. However, there was one particular scene that stood out to me. In Book V, it wrote, “She found him sitting upon the beach with his eyes ever filled with tears, and dying of sheer homesickness...” The description of this minor scene really caught my attention. I was able to really picture what was happening and it was quite different compared to the other scenes.
The theme of perseverance and Ulysses’ character development correlate in this story. Ulysses started off in this story being depressed and unmotivated. After he was freed by Calypso, he was told by Ino to leave his raft. His response in Book V was, “this is some one or other of the gods who is luring me to ruin by advising me to quit my raft… I know what I will do-I am sure it will be best-no matter what happens I will stick to the raft…” This revealed Ulysses’ hard headed personality, and it also demonstrated how smart he was in the later chapters. When his men were trapped and being eaten alive by Polyphemus, giving up seemed like an easy option. Tying his men under sheep and telling Polyphemus, “... my name is Noman; this is what my father and mother and my friends have always called me…” (Book IX) was such a great strategy.
When Circe informed Ulysses about the Sirens in Book XII, she said, “stop your men's ears with wax that none of them may hear; but if you like you can listen yourself, for you may get the men and bind you as you stand upright on a cross piece halfway up the mast…” he listened and at the time I thought it was a big sacrifice. However, after they passed through Scylla and Charybdis, Eurylochus spoke to Ulysses, “you are cruel; you are very strong yourself and never get worn out; you seem to be made of iron, and now, though your men are exhausted with toil and want to sleep, you will not let them…” (Book IX). It truly showed how others felt towards Ulysses and how although he is creative, his character was self centered.
Once Ulysses returned to Ithaca, he fought the suitors and got together with Penelope. Throughout all the struggles, Ulysses still managed to get home, and even though his personality wasn't great, I enjoyed how the author created such a diverse character.
Certain aspects of the book caused me to not enjoy it as much as I thought it would. The introduction to the story didn't quite live up to my expectations. It took a while for the book to grab my attention, and the pacing felt slow. From books I-IV, there was a lot of dialogue and it wasn't as interesting. I also had a difficult time with memorizing all the characters. I knew that the names would be different from other books, but I didn't think I would have struggled with it.
I would probably rate this book a 3 out of 5. Majority of the book was great. The imagery given with the various scenes were extraordinary, but the pacing and toiling to remember all the characters made the book not as enjoyable as I hoped. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy Greek mythology and the epic genre. If remembering diverse characters are not a big issue, then the book maybe be more entertaining.

[strawberry jellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

AH-Mazing
I loved Emily Wilson's translation. She makes the story very accessible to a modern reader. I'll have to read another to see how it compares.

Odysseus is a sly dog and the fight scene at the end makes me excited for Christopher Nolan's movie in 2026. Here's hoping he does it justice or he may get an arrow to the throat.

[Joshua Reiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s the odyssey so it’s great, but it only gets great after halfway through the book and reading about yet another feast where the dudes wash their hands and cut off a skewer of meat and get some gold cup or whatever

[Ehsan'Shokraie' · Rating 4 out of 5]

داستان غول یک چشم شامل دو فصل از روایت اودیسه اثر بزرگ هومر و یادگار بزرگ یونان باستان است،خواندنی مفرح با ترجمه ای مقید که لذت خوانش را زایل نمی کند.

[Joe Negen · Rating 5 out of 5]

i mean what is there to say that hasn't been already said? i actually found this to be a very exciting and interesting read, despite perhaps a few too many greek names that were only relevant for a few lines and then disappearing into the ether.

very interesting to read this book as a 26 year old who's read somewhat widely already, and recognize things that i've already read and come into contact with in other pieces of literature. something like hearing the original song of a sample you know well.

while this was the first time reading this i had read plenty of excerpts before and the translation of this is very readable. very readable and the language is both accessible and interesting.

5 stars, would reccomend to anyone looking to read the odyssey, or interested in the classics in general.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can see my general thoughts about The Odyssey here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Here is my review of Mendelsohn's translation:

The most notable/unique aspect of Mendelsohn’s translation is his attempt “to a great extent” to replicate the “distinctive pulse of the original, as often as possible, with its customary pauses and breaks.” (p. 43) That distinctive pulse is dactylic hexameter:

_ ‿‿ | _‿‿ | _‿ // ‿ | _‿‿ | _‿‿ | _ x
(Foot: short, long, long, or stress, unstress, unstress)

Mendelsohn notes that his “lines are generally cast in a rhythmic six-beat meter that often hews very close to the standard hexameter measure, often with a break at the beginning of the third foot.” He also admits to starting lines with an anapest (‿‿_). (p. 50) Mendelsohn is frustratingly unclear about whether he is counting syllables (in the English tradition) or vowels (in the Greco-Latin tradition). I’m assuming he’s counting syllables.

As someone who dabbles in writing verse, I found this goal to be very, very interesting. I’m not aware of any widely known English poems in dactylic hexameter. Only slightly less rare are English poems using dactyls in any form. (The Charge of the Light Brigade being one.) The simple fact is that starting a line with a stress will become very obvious in a longer work. And noticeably distracting/annoying. And the repeated galloping rhythm of the dactyl/anapest can sound a bit ludicrous after a while. (Thus, much comic verse is written in this form.) So color me skeptical. I didn’t think this was going to work.

I needn’t worry. I got the audiobook to fully enjoy the meter. Frankly, I couldn’t hear it. It sounded like a nice prosaic translation, much like the other post World War II translations. It seemed a little wordy and used a few cliches, but I honestly couldn’t hear the dactyls. So, when I finished the work, I took an excerpt from Book IV – about 75 lines where Helen recalls seeing Odysseus in disguise inside Troy – and did a metrical analysis.

Mendelsohn said the dactylic hexameters were loose. So loose, in fact, I don’t think I could identify the meter if someone gave me the lines and didn’t tell me what to look for. In the random sample I looked at, the lines run from 12 to 17 syllables. Furthermore, I couldn’t find a single line that followed the textbook definition of dactylic hexameter. Without greatly distorting the natural rhythms of English, I’d say less the half the lines in the section I reviewed start with a stress. (Maybe as few as one-third in the section I examined.)

There are a good number of triads – anapests and dactyls. (But I’m not sure if there’s more than you'd find in regular prose.) Many of them are wrenched – that is, the meter stresses conflict with the normal speech stresses. Mendelsohn could have made it a bit more regular if he had pursued poetic contractions (such as “th’other” for “the other”), but he chose not to go that route. (It’s not very hip these days. Of course, neither is dactylic hexameter.) He also avoided contractions in general. There were none in the section I reviewed. Mendelsohn said he didn’t use contractions where he wanted a more formal sound. Those decisions really tied his hand.

So, is it a meter if you can’t hear it spoken or scan it on paper? I guess there are vague echoes of meter. Not much, and certainly not enough to brag about. I’m fine with the longer line, but he’s not the first to do that.

Overall, a decent translation -- a bit disappointing, but that's only because I was expecting so much. It doesn't stand out from many of the other translations I've read.

[Rónán Ó · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
I am happy I read this but I wouldn't really recommend it. I liked the ending, I found the bits in Ithaca a lot more exciting than most of the adventure part. There are some exciting parts but it was also such a slog to get through it all. Some of time it just felt like "so this happened so then they went here and then they did something and then the moved over here and this happened".

A lot of strengths about Ulysses aren't really shown too, he gets a lot of advice from Minerva and if she doesn't guide him, it starts to go badly for him. I did find it funny whenever it would be like "you should go here, do this, and say this" and then Ulysses would go there, do what was said, and copy what he was told to say word for word.

[meri · Rating 4 out of 5]

feels impossible to ’rate’ a book/poem/story more than 2200 years old. i enjoyed this eventful ride, and the samuel butler prose translated version was very possible to listen to 😅 let’s talk about myths, baby! podcast’s liv albert is a joy to listen to so listening to this read by her made it a pleasure. the ancient greeks were wild on their storytelling. is it blasphemy to shelve this as ”fantasy”?

[Jack Frogameni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll quote the late, great Norm MacDonald to summarize this book:

"It was a little drinkin', a little fightin', a little fornicatin'."

[Daniel Metroka · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the thematic richness of the Iliad, I was expecting the Odyssey to be a more straightforward quest story with not as much depth, but I was pleasantly surprised. Most of the poem is reserved not for Odysseus’s journey, but for the before and after, which does make the pace drag in some areas, but in others adds a lot of interesting thematic work. While the Iliad is war, the odyssey is its aftermath, showing us the effect on families back home and revealing a lot important insight to the culture of the ancient world, particularly the tension between its xenophobia and its obligations of hospitality. Monsters are never just monsters, they’re monstrous because of their foreignness, and yet men who fail to adhere to Greek customs of hospitality are considered just as evil.

As with the Iliad, every character feels alive and layered, even if they align with storytelling tropes of the time. Wilson’s translation is as readable and lovely as ever, although I did find myself questioning a few word choices that felt too contemporary, which was an issue I never had with her translation of the Iliad.

[Sidonie Becker · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay so this is all no shade to Emily Wilson who did her absolute best with this translation despite some odd choices ("no man") so my review is aimed at Homer or whoever actually wrote this.

This book is 80% yapping and 20% adventure which is not a great balance. also Ody as a main character is absolutely insufferable. bro is a deceiving twat and proud of it. also braincell? never heard of them. if bro was the smartest of greeks, then holy shit the greeks were stupid af. I'm lowkey mad that the actual odyssey aka the thing that would make good plot is always mentioned on the side. like dude I don't care about your yapping about the son of so and so and how he offended/helped you get to the point goddamnit. also itheca arc is just batshit insane. I'm so glad EPIC gave Ody a personality overhaul and cut out the yapping and extended the fun parts.

[Makayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean, what can I say that hasn’t already been said? The Odyssey is that girl and always will be. Quite literally the blueprint. I honestly didn’t mean to spend so much time on just this translation, but there were so many notes and explanations that I had to take my sweet time. It’s been so long since I first read it so I completely forgot how much Odysseus just lies for literally no reason…iconic. If there’s anything Homer wants you to take from this story, it’s that Odysseus loves Penelope and Telemachus more than anything (but will still lie to test them lol) and that he has some absolutely sexy and juicy thighs even when he’s suffering (I’m not kidding it’s mentioned multiple times).

Rating for this translation: 3.75 ⭐️

[Bernadette Tuason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book club pick, this one is translated by Emily Wilson. I can’t remember what I read in high school (or if I even read this 😅) so I honestly would not be able to tell the difference in translation. Overall the stories are familiar, and reading it this time around, I’ve noticed that some of the things (culturally) are wild, like the expectation of giving strangers food and drink and treasure before really knowing who they are and why they are visiting! All so that they don’t offend the gods! There is also a lot of repetition in the stories. This tome was a slog to get through, and glad I finished. 😅☺️ 3 stars.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my second time reading The Odyssey, and it was still completely captivating. Even knowing the journey, the trials, and where Odysseus will end up, I found myself pulled in all over again by the adventure, the cleverness, and the sheer endurance of it all.

There’s something timeless about this story—the longing for home, the cost of pride, and the way perseverance carries Odysseus through gods, monsters, and years of loss. On a reread, I appreciated the quieter moments just as much as the epic ones, especially the patience and strength of Penelope.

A rare classic that truly rewards rereading. Familiar, yet powerful every single time.

[Dylan Alexander · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand this work is one of the greats and a pillar for literature in general, but my god is it boring to read. It often goes on wild tangents that seem more relevant to Greek mythology as a whole than to the actual story, in which it is really easy to forget what the actual scene is about. Furthermore, it insists on telling the story through a character… telling a story. Exposition is given through dialogue most of the time, which is both confusing and uninteresting.

There are exciting parts of the book (Polyphemus, Circe, Scylla, execution of suitors), but it takes its sweet time getting there. It isn’t a particularly challenging read in a sense of vocabulary structure, rather it’s more of a marathon to test how long you can stay interesting after learning about irrelevant details that are painstakingly fleshed out through SEVERAL pages.

To give this work credit, it has gotten me into Greek mythology a lot more than I was when I started. I think this would be an interesting read after I research more into the subject. I can into this with very little knowledge on Greek mythology, so that definitely was a factor in tapering my interest through its runtime. It is worth noting that I read the Samuel butler translation.

[Alberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timeless masterpiece.

[Calvin Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh

[teagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

“I love the Odyssey, but boy do I hate Daniel Mendelsohn.” Her words.

[Mariana Viseu · Rating 4 out of 5]

El clásico de los clásicos. Genial, épico, picante y la base de mucho de nuestros días.

[Carley Pompa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Courtesy of @Zach Zurkowsky :)

[Sanja Greenawalt]

Don’t really know how to review this bc I’ve only read one other translation which I kinda forget, but I really liked it. Maybe I’ll return to this when I’ve read another.

[Jen Crichton · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a banger

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best translation. Still written in verse, stays consistent with names and is easy to follow.

[Kpich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely good translation. Lives up to the hype. Treats a lot of the narratively insane things in the text delightfully