The Odyssey: A New Translation by Daniel Mendelsohn

by Homer, Daniel Mendelsohn - translator

Brought to you by Penguin.


A magnificent new translation of the Odyssey by best-selling author and classicist Daniel Mendelsohn

Setting aside the streamlining, modernizing approach of many recent translations, Mendelsohn artfully reproduces the epic’s formal qualities – meter, enjambment, alliteration, assonance – and in so doing restores to Homer’s master work its archaic grandeur. His expansive six-beat line, far closer to the original than that of other recent translations, allows him to capture each of Homer’s verses line for line, without sacrificing the amplitude and shadings of the original.

The result is the richest, most precise, and most musical Odyssey in English, one that fully conveys its oral poetics while bringing to vivid life the gripping adventure, profound human insight and powerful themes that make Homer’s work resonate some twenty-eight centuries after its composition. Supported by an extensive introduction and the fullest notes and commentary currently available, Mendelsohn’s Odyssey is poised to become the authoritative English-language version of this magnificent, endlessly enjoyable masterpiece.


'This may be the best translation of The Odyssey yet. Daniel Mendelsohn’s rendering of Homer’s text is both highly readable and faithful to the original metre. It’s impressive, thrilling stuff... a sonorous new translation' - Edith Hall, The Telegraph

With his Odyssey, best-selling author and classicist Daniel Mendelsohn has created a momentous new work, hailed by classicists and poets alike – a translation to stand with those of E. V. Rieu and Robert Fagles.

Daniel Mendelsohn 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Audible Audio

Published April 24, 2025

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

[Matthew Conroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping translation of The Odyssey by Daniel Mendelsohn. This is my first time reading it all the way through (or rather listening to it), so I have no other translation to compare it to. I appreciated the way that his version immerses you in this strange world with its poetry, which is familiar yet in many ways alien to modern sensibilities, as are the social conventions. The middle chapters, in particular, which recount Odysseus’ encounters with fantastical creatures such as Scylla, the Sirens and the Cyclops are so well read - Mendelsohn has you on the edge of your seat. Once Odysseus returns to Ithaca there is a lot of testing of loyalties, disguises and skullduggery that takes some time to play out, but I still found it very engaging. Because the work was likely recounted by bards there are a lot of repeated phrases that must have been familiar to listeners at the time of The Odyssey’s creation, and Mendelsohn doesn’t make an attempt to cut them out in favor of brevity. I actually appreciate that as it helps immerse you into the experience. This is one of those works that actually may be best enjoyed as an audio book, as that is how it was originally conveyed.

[Richard Block · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Translation

This is my 5th different translation of the Odyssey and by far, the best I've read. The brilliant classics scholar and essayist is the translator and author of a huge introduction that is replete with insights and eye opening ideas. Daniel Mendelsohn also read the Audible (the best way to read Homer is to listen to him read), with full understanding of the words and poetic metre of the work.

The Odyssey is my favourite story and it will never be surpassed. I recommend listening to DM's Introduction, over two and a half hours long explaining its enduring power. It was one of nine accounts written (poetic, oral first!) about the Trojan War and its aftermath, and forever joined with The Iliad and Homer. Mendelsohn translated it precisely, including its ancient poetic rhythm, which is eye opening. There are some wearingly repetitive phrases, created I think to help reciters remember it (like his words flew like arrows, owl eyed goddess, wine dark sea, etc) but they add to the authenticity of the translation and the world it conjures up. Only a few of the books (9-13) cover the amazing adventures (the sirens, cyclops, Circe, lotus eaters, Hades, etc). Most of the tale is on the return of Odysseus to Ithaca and his reuniting with Penelope and Telemachus. It is a story about loyalty, tenacity, foolishness, identity, and most poignantly human love.

For newcomers, don't be afraid - Mendelsohn's voice is precise and soothing, and the story so compelling, you will see why I love it so, and why this version is excellent in every way.

[Gian Marco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was, I think, my fourth major reading of the Odyssey in my life.

And I totally fell in love with it anew, thanks to the translation.

Mendelsohn's poetry is refined, smooth, and intense in the way it evokes the ancient places described in the book.

This might well become my favourite version.

I am very biased when it comes to this tale.
The Odyssey, or at the very least its myth, has accompanied me since I was a child, and I feel like I only enjoy it more as an adult.

Homer's tale of homecoming is subtle, modern, enthralling, and yet beautiful at every turn.

The notes here add, to someone who's passionate but certainly not an expert, like myself, further depth, although they are elegantly concise.

There's so much to say, and yet I feel it would amount to nothing.

Just go ahead and see for yourself, with an open heart, why this is one of the founding stones of Western culture at large.

[William Broad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read the Odyssey before and I am not familiar with classics beyond Stephen Fry's books. I decided to give this a shot after having read Stephen Fry's Troy and found this to be an excellent and readable translation for a modern reader, very clear and vibrant and I appreciate the attention to detail made by the translator as explained in the intro/translators note and chapter notes. I am glad I chose this over the Wilson version which I was unsure of buying after reading the samples sidebyside. As for the story, it is abundantly clear why its popularity endures after more than 2800 years.

[James Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mendelsohn is an amazing translator (I loved his Cavafy). In this version the quirks of oral composition are retained and yet it is very readable. The notes, both introduction and endnotes, are going to be of real value for teaching and for aiding understanding. This is much better than Rieu's prose translation and much fuller than Emily Wilson's.