Odysseus Returns Home

by Homer, Robert Fagles (Translator)

AFTER WAR AND STRIFE, A MIGHTY KING'S TROUBLES ARE ONLY JUST BEGINNING...

After ten years at war and ten years wandering the world, Odysseus has finally returned home. But he cannot reveal his identity to his faithful wife Penelope. A gang of would-be lovers are pestering her to marry one of them - and are prepared to kill anyone who claims to be her husband.

Now Odysseus must use all his cunning and ingenuity to get rid of them, if he is to reclaim his wife and his rightful place as King of Ithaca once and for all.

Genres: Classics, Poetry

135 pages, Paperback

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

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man, is Homer ever detailed (long-winded?). When Odysseus returns home, everything is described: what he wears, what he eats, his conversations with everyone he encounters. The plot to get the suitors out of his house and away from his wife Penelope runs very long. The discovery of Odysseus's return and the uncovering of his disguise by house servants is excruciatingly long. He is revealed to each and every servant of the house in prolonged detail before we get to the main plan and action. Homer employed the slow burn so long one has to check if the fire is still going. But once the action hits, it is quite a blaze. The expulsion/deaths of the suitors, told in gore drenched detail (I'm not kidding. No one is merely dispatched: a spear or arrow has to go through someone's head and brains have to be described. Throw in a dead moan and you get the picture.) was a joy to read.

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a fan of the translation. Odysseus really was a tool wasn’t he…

[medina]

Sailing to Ithaca along the trail of Ulysses, reading Odysseus gave insight into 10th century BC Mycenean pre-classic culture and values. One - extra macho - Penelope sits home and cries while the men have adventures. Two - rather violent - revenge is not only honorable, but necessary. Three - hospitality is an essential value, a guest is fed and rested before being asked his identity and mission; the host gives gifts to the guest when he leaves (rather than the guest bringing gifts to the host) - important for travelers in an era before inns. Four - destiny is decided by the gods - quite fatalisitic, but initiative and determination is admired by the gods who can reverse your destiny - as Zeus modifies Poseidon's revenge on Ulysses.

Good to have reread this classic. Can't remember Ulysses dog's name though, the dog is the only being who recognizes Ulysses upon his return. Maybe now I can understand Joyce's version?

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This particular edition was not the complete Odyssey, just an excerpt. I know the Odyssey well though I do not own it, and the story of Odysseus coming home to his wife Penelope has always been one of my favourite bits. And that even though it has loads of fighting and bloodshed, which I'm usually no fan of! Both Odysseus and Penelope are cunning human beings and I am absolutely in love with their love. Penelope is an inspiration.

[Gary Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

an excellent introduction to Greek classical literature. I really enjoyed it.