The Odyssey

After reading several translations of The Odyssey (Butcher, Murray, Rieu, Fagles, Lattimore etc…) over the years, I was curious to experience a more contemporary treatment, hence picking up this one.

Wilson’s translation is clear and easy to comprehend. I found it a much faster read than previous translations, although admittedly I was poring over those ones for a dissertation. (I forget which one(s) came in rhyming couplets, but ohboy!)  If you’ve read my other reviews, you’ll know I tend to prefer prose that isn’t too ornate, but I wouldn’t have minded a touch more richness here. While I generally liked the straightforward language, sometimes the wily Odysseus seemed to express himself more honestly and self-critically than I’d expect. Additionally, I didn’t often feel inclined to linger over particular passages.

As a bonus, I did notice descriptive details that I hadn’t previously paid much attention to (such as the storeroom Penelope retrieves the bow from, and the bow’s somewhat ominous history).

Overall, a very accessible translation that may well appeal if you’ve struggled with earlier florid offerings.

 I read once that in most cases, the best translation you'll find of a classic work of something like The Odyssey is the most recent one, unless, of course, it's been done too creatively, like in teenage slang or something.
 The Odyssey is one of those classics I missed in high school and college and may not have read if I hadn't stumbled across a pristine copy of this version in a paper recycling bin.
 Advice on reading it:
 My copy had some Post-it papers in it. These were useful because you'll want to reference the introduction, maps, notes, and glossary. This version was printed rough cut style, which is charming but it makes it hard to find specific pages quickly.
 The introduction is 79 pages long and essentially acts as a teacher. Don't try to read it all at once first. It sort of corresponds with the action of the narrative, so read it as you go.
 The best advice is from the translator, Emily Wilson, and is from the introduction:

Presumably, Odysseus is inspired by a deep loyalty to his wife, son, father, and the place of his birth, and moved by a deep and constant love for those he left behind. But we must avoid projecting the anachronistic ideas of chivalric romantic love onto Odysseus, who is not a medieval knight performing valiant deeds for the sake of a beautiful lady.

This translation of the book reads like a novel, not a poem: It’s the first time I’ve been able to read poetry without forgetting each word the moment I read it.
This is in large part thanks to the kind of language Emily Wilson uses. In her introduction she explains that other translations often use some sort of old fanshioned English. Which makes reading the book unnecessarily complicated. The story itself is very old, filled with customs and ideas that are hard to understand for a modern western person like myself, there is no need to make it even harder by using some sort of English that people spoke 50 years ago.
Another reason I think this book reads so well is because Emily Wilson is a woman. She explains in her introduction that this is definitely of influence on the end result. While it is impossible to turn the Odyssey into a feminist manifesto — it will forever be a barbaric tale of a horrible brute — it is definitely possible to choose more positive descriptions of the women in the book when in doubt.
I’m very happy that I kept falling asleep during all my previous attempts to read the Odyssey, otherwise I wouldn’t have read this great translation by Emily Wilson. And I wouldn’t have read the introduction which is an excellent lecture about how Homer and the Odyssey were perceived throughout the centuries, and which places the story in a modern day western context. A true eye opener.

I have really wanted to read "The Odyssey" and other Greek literature for a number of years but somehow have missed it. Works like "The Odyssey" are such a deep part of Western culture that even if you have not read it, you know about its general plot and many interesting interludes - the Cyclops, the Sirens, the Lotus Eaters, monstrous sea creatures, evil suitors, and lots of shipwrecks. The word "odyssey" invokes the idea of journey and discovery.

Now that I finally have read "The Odyssey," I can see why it is a cornerstone of Western literature. I genuinely enjoyed the experience. Indeed, I would claim that reading the work is not simply reading an ancient work of fiction but is an experience that draws you in. What surprised me about the work is the surprising level of pathos and emotion. It is not only the emotions of Odysseus seeking his path home after twenty years of exile but in "The Odyssey," you encounter a world that has shattered by the Trojan War with people seeking to recover from the heartache and loss. It is an elegiac journey of a single person seeking home and mirrors the journey of ever person through life.

The events around Ithaca concerning the suitors seeking to marry Penelope, the suffering wife of Odysseus, were ones that made me reflect. The theme of the home violated and the need for vengeance to restore equilibrium may strike modern readers as strange. Odysseus must not only return but also to destroy those who have brazenly betrayed him and taken all that he had - and quite bloody work it was, too. And not only were the suitors killed but the serving girls who slept with them were also killed. This bloody-minded vengeance does somewhat detract from the first half of the work, even if I understand why it needs to occur dramatically to give the story closure.

Without a doubt, this a book that one should read at least once. And I found the translation by Robert Fagles to be a great baseline for anyone approaching "The Odyssey" for the first time. I know that I will re-read the work someday and I look forward to discovering new things about Odysseus (and myself) along the journey.

The Odyssey is one of two narrative poems that have been attributed to the Greek poet Homer; while it is not entirely clear that he actually composed both or any of them. While it can be said that The Odyssey is a sequel to Homer’s Iliad, reading them out of order will not put you at a major disadvantage. Iliad tells the story of the war on Troy and remains popular due to the fact that it is one of the only surviving Greek classics that actually deals with thetopic. The destruction of the Library of Alexandria was a great cultural loss and many poems and documents were lost, leaving Homer’s works even more culturally significant as it pretty much all we have left to go on. The Iliad and Odyssey remain fundamental to the Western canon for being the oldest works still in existent in literature.

While the Iliad focused on the events that happened in Troy, The Odyssey takes place ten years after the Trojan War. Odysseus has still not returned home from the war, his wife Penelope is still hopeful for his return while the Suitors (a group of over 100 men) try to persuade her to marry one of them. The Suitors are enjoying the hospitality of Odysseus, eating up his wealth while he is not around to stop them. Up on Mount Olympos, the gods are debating on whether to let Odysseus return. The goddess Athene pleads to her father Zeus in favour of letting him return, but Poseidon wishes to wipe his ship out. Obviously this is an over simplified synopsis; to give The Odyssey’s plot any justice, I would need to write a few paragraphs of information.

I was a little worried going into this epic poem; I have often found medieval literature difficult and the idea of reading something so much older scared me. I was lucky enough to be assigned a prose translation by Walter Shewring which was a perfect choice for me. Out of interest I had a look at another prose translation, the Project Gutenberg edition (translated by Alexander Pope) and was shocked to see Jove, Neptune and Minerva used in the text. A Greek epic poem that was using Roman gods, that didn’t work for me. Shewring’s was superb; it made things easier for me and helped me find the beauty with this text.

Obviously when The Odyssey was first composed (believed to be around the 8th century BC) it was shared in an oral tradition by an aoidos (poet or singer). We can see a lot techniques being used that have since been established as the literary norm. The Odyssey reads almost like a modern day thriller, continually keeping up a fast pace with slight repetition to remind the audience of key plot points. It is a story of a variety of adventures, told in a non-linear fashion that doesn’t have much in the way of philosophising or introspection.

While the Iliad and Odyssey is attributed to Homer, there isn’t much other information about this Greek poet. The bearded blind man often depicted as an image of Homer is not even one that can be historically verified. The lack of information about the author (if in fact he was the author) means that the poems have to speak for themselves; a new experience for me in my study of literature. It is surprising that the literary terms ‘Homeric Greek’ and ‘Homeric world’ were named after someone we know nothing about.

There is a lot going on in The Odyssey but I want to look at two things I found interesting; first of all the idea of hospitality. Within the poem the idea of hospitality is a little weird; the Suitors just move in and make themselves at home, taking advantage of the hospitality of someone who wasn’t around to stop them. Further in the poem, Odysseus and his soldiers are doing the exact same thing to the Cyclops. Hospitality is expected and within this poem it is often being taken advantage of. What does that say of humanity during the time this was set and has it changed much now?

Secondly I want to talk about gender inequality, ever since reading The Fictional Woman I see it in almost everything I read, so I can’t help but talk about. Odysseus is not faithful to his wife Penelope, there are countless times he is sleeping with someone else. In fact the idea of him being a highly sexual being is pretty much glorified within this poem but if it is a woman, then she isn’t an ‘ideal’ woman or evil. Just look at how Clytemnestra, the sirens and Calypso are portrayed within this poem. In fact Penelope is the symbol of a perfect woman and Odysseus has to test her before revealing who he is. My problem is the scary notion that this gender inequality is still a problem now; in the 8th century BC it was evident; why is this still a problem?

Odysseus is an interesting character, a smart and witty hero; you could even say he had the favour of Athene (goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, strategic warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill) on his side. It is interesting the way Odysseus is portrayed as a hero; it is different to a modern interpretation of the word. He isn’t necessarily a good person, in fact, I would say he wasn’t but his actions are often heroic. He tries to save his men from the Cyclops but his pride and ego almost got them killed and there are many more instances of this. In this modern world we seem to combine a good character with heroics but that isn’t often the case. A person can be heroic and try to protect or save others, doesn’t mean they are not a jerk.

I went into this epic poem nervous and I ended up loving it; I will have to track down the Iliad and read that one as well. I think Walter Shewring’s translation did help and the fact that this was an Oxford World Classics edition meant that I knew I would have some helpful information to help me understand The Odyssey. On a more personal note, writing this review was rather difficult, I had to remember Homer didn’t write this, he spoke it and this is a poem not a novel or book. I have so much I want to say about this poem but I had to edit this review down already.

This review originally appeared on my blog: literary-exploration.com/2014/10/07/the-odyssey-by-homer/

I have been intrigued by the "7 Plots" idea in literary criticism lately, the idea that all stories follow and riff-upon fundamental archetypes.

In reading one of the Western World's first works of literature, I think I had a sense of the timelessness of story telling. And it was a great story. I especially liked the hero being warned by the shade in Hades that Odysseus shouldn't expect his wife to be 100% thrilled and convinced by his comeback and to maybe prep her a bit.

This translation was an ambitious choice; at times I did wish I'd chosen a somewhat more concise one.

One word choice was jarring: characters got off "scot free" several times. I thought Scotland hadn't been invented yet in the time of Homer? True enough, but the phrase comes from "skot" which is an ancient word for a tax or tribute and the phrase "scot free" appears in writing in 1066, so I guess I can't quibble.