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.