Status
Available
Collections
Publication
Macmillan Audio (2014), Unabridged MP3; 10h15
User reviews
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
Rereading this I can't believe I once found Homer boring. In my defense, I was a callow teen, and having a book assigned in school often tends to perversely make you hate it. But then I had a "Keats conversion experience." Keats famously wrote a poem in tribute to a translation of Homer by Chapman
A friend of mine who is a classicist says she prefers the Illiad--that she thinks it the more mature book. I love the Illiad, but I'd give Odyssey a slight edge. Even just reading general Greek mythology, Odysseus was always a favorite, because unlike figures such as Achilles or Heracles he succeeded on his wits, not muscle. It's true, on this reread, especially in contrast to say the Illiad's Hector, I do see Odysseus' dark side. The man is a pirate and at times rash, hot-tempered, even vicious. But I do feel for his pining for home and The Odyssey is filled with such a wealth of incident--the Cyclops, Circe, Scylla and Charybdis, the Sirens--and especially Hades, the forerunner of Dante's Hell. And though my friend is right that the misogynist ancient Greek culture isn't where you go for strong heroines, I love Penelope; described as the "matchless queen of cunning," she's a worthy match for the crafty Odysseus. The series of recognition scenes on Ithaca are especially moving and memorable--I think my favorite and the most poignant being that of Odysseus' dog Argos. An epic poem about 2,700 years old, in the right translation it can nevertheless speak to me more eloquently than many a contemporary novel.
Show More
who, Keats wrote, opened to him "realms of gold." My Chapman was Fitzgerald, although in this reread I tried the Fagles translation and really enjoyed it. Obviously, the translation is key if you're not reading in the original Greek, and I recommend looking at several side by side to see which one best suits. A friend of mine who is a classicist says she prefers the Illiad--that she thinks it the more mature book. I love the Illiad, but I'd give Odyssey a slight edge. Even just reading general Greek mythology, Odysseus was always a favorite, because unlike figures such as Achilles or Heracles he succeeded on his wits, not muscle. It's true, on this reread, especially in contrast to say the Illiad's Hector, I do see Odysseus' dark side. The man is a pirate and at times rash, hot-tempered, even vicious. But I do feel for his pining for home and The Odyssey is filled with such a wealth of incident--the Cyclops, Circe, Scylla and Charybdis, the Sirens--and especially Hades, the forerunner of Dante's Hell. And though my friend is right that the misogynist ancient Greek culture isn't where you go for strong heroines, I love Penelope; described as the "matchless queen of cunning," she's a worthy match for the crafty Odysseus. The series of recognition scenes on Ithaca are especially moving and memorable--I think my favorite and the most poignant being that of Odysseus' dog Argos. An epic poem about 2,700 years old, in the right translation it can nevertheless speak to me more eloquently than many a contemporary novel.
Show Less
LibraryThing member neurodrew
The Odyssey
Homer, translation Robert Fitzgerald
May 22, 2010
I have had the intention of reading the Odyssey for years, left it on my shelf, and now, after finishing the work, wonder how I had not previously enjoyed this exciting tale. The structure is not what I expected, being mostly about the
Odysseus: “There is no part of a man more like a dog than a Brazen belly, crying to be remembered”
The ghost of Agaemenon: “Indulge a woman never, and never tell you all you know”
Odysseus: “By grace of Hermes the Wayfinder, patron of mortal tasks, the god who honors toil, no man can do a chore better than I can.”
Penelope: “Friend, many and many a dream is mere confusion, a cobweb of no consequence at all.”
Do not fail to read this book, if you consider yourself literate.
Homer, translation Robert Fitzgerald
May 22, 2010
I have had the intention of reading the Odyssey for years, left it on my shelf, and now, after finishing the work, wonder how I had not previously enjoyed this exciting tale. The structure is not what I expected, being mostly about the
Show More
problems of Telemachus and Penelope in Ithaca, with the tales of Odysseus travels told as a long story in Phonecia, where he is awaiting aid to travel home. I have encountered all the stories before, the men turned into swine, the cyclopes, the danger of Scylla and Charibdys. I have not read them through, and find the poetry of Fitzgerald easy to read, exciting and muscular. Some quotes:Odysseus: “There is no part of a man more like a dog than a Brazen belly, crying to be remembered”
The ghost of Agaemenon: “Indulge a woman never, and never tell you all you know”
Odysseus: “By grace of Hermes the Wayfinder, patron of mortal tasks, the god who honors toil, no man can do a chore better than I can.”
Penelope: “Friend, many and many a dream is mere confusion, a cobweb of no consequence at all.”
Do not fail to read this book, if you consider yourself literate.
Show Less
LibraryThing member HankIII
I finally completed it, and what a long strange trip it's been.Before beginning my trek, I was somewhat familar with The Odyssey as a major work in Western Literature, one that has spawned influences in other literary works and drama.It was slow going at first, what with the whole medias res thing
Show More
and trying to get a bead on the characters and time placement. and Telemachus's search,and of course, Odysseus's trails and tribulations. I was struck by the violence, most especiallythe staggering unmerciless detailed killing of the suitors and servants upon Odysseus'sreturn to Ithaca. I would read it again; a work of this magnitude should be read more than once if only to grasp the continual width and panorama of it. Just the encounters with thecreatures alone make my mind boggle at the imaginative creativity involved to envision such a thing. Show Less
LibraryThing member donbuch1
A standard text for high school classrooms, the Fitzgerald translation, rewritten in prose form, provides an accessible version of Homer's The Odyssey. Without question, this page-turning adventure acts as a model for storytelling, as Homer likely captured in riveting manner the attention of his
Show More
local audience wherever he traveled. Set up in media res, the gripping narrative takes readers through the wandering years of Odysseus, a Greek soldier-king, who had fought in the Trojan War. With hubris, the cocky hero manages to enrage Poseidon who punishes the mere mortal through a series of obstacles where he is unable to get back to his homeland of Ithaca to be with his wife and son. Even after reading the classic epic several times, I am always impressed by Homer's use of imagery as illustrated in the passage when Odysseus pokes the eye out of the baby cyclops Polyphemus: "Eyelid and lash were seared; the pierced ball hissed broiling, and the roots popped." Wow! This is enough for any student to lose an appetite before lunch break. Show Less
LibraryThing member antao
I humbly declare this book to be the greatest literary work of mankind. If you don't learn Greek (worth it just to read this Meisterwerk, never mind the rest of the immortal trove of Greek literature) you can read it in so many translations that have become classics in their own use of the English
The Homeric poems were sung in a less-enlightened time, in comparison with the later Greek tragedies, and with the later epics too. Apollonius' Argonautica was composed, post Greek Tragedy, and his audience would have been, no doubt, familiar with Euripides' Medea. Questions such as how justice and revenge affect societies were addressed by Aeschylus in the Oresteia; likewise, the reception of the anthropomorphic gods, and their pettiness, was raised by Euripides in Hippolytus and the Bacchae. Furthermore, the real nature and brutality of warfare was also raised in the Trojan Women. Throw in how one state views another state, and questions of racial identity, and you have The Persians by Aeschylus, and Medea by Euripides. Additionally, if you include Philoctetes by Sophocles, and the issue of how youth should conduct themselves is also raised. If you consider, too, Ajax by Sophocles, and you find that the bloodthirsty myths of an earlier age are filtered through questions that C5 Athenian society faced. What is better, the brute force of an unsophisticated Ajax, or the sophistry and rhetorical arguments of Odysseus in Ajax? By the time we arrive at Virgil, and The Aenied, brutal events such as the death of Priam by Neoptolemus in Aeneid Book II, are tempered with a more enlightened approach. Neoptolemus is condemned for killing Priam, and rightly so, as mercy is important, and exemplifies the Romanitas of 'Sparing the humble, and conquering the proud'. However, Aeneas doesn't show mercy in his killing of Turnus at the end of Book XII.
If you're into Greek Literature, read the rest of this review on my blog.
Show More
language, Fagles and Murray, just to mention two. Oh, what the Hades, let's throw in a third, not just for its brilliant translation, but also owing to the exotic character behind it: no less than Lawrence of Arabia.The Homeric poems were sung in a less-enlightened time, in comparison with the later Greek tragedies, and with the later epics too. Apollonius' Argonautica was composed, post Greek Tragedy, and his audience would have been, no doubt, familiar with Euripides' Medea. Questions such as how justice and revenge affect societies were addressed by Aeschylus in the Oresteia; likewise, the reception of the anthropomorphic gods, and their pettiness, was raised by Euripides in Hippolytus and the Bacchae. Furthermore, the real nature and brutality of warfare was also raised in the Trojan Women. Throw in how one state views another state, and questions of racial identity, and you have The Persians by Aeschylus, and Medea by Euripides. Additionally, if you include Philoctetes by Sophocles, and the issue of how youth should conduct themselves is also raised. If you consider, too, Ajax by Sophocles, and you find that the bloodthirsty myths of an earlier age are filtered through questions that C5 Athenian society faced. What is better, the brute force of an unsophisticated Ajax, or the sophistry and rhetorical arguments of Odysseus in Ajax? By the time we arrive at Virgil, and The Aenied, brutal events such as the death of Priam by Neoptolemus in Aeneid Book II, are tempered with a more enlightened approach. Neoptolemus is condemned for killing Priam, and rightly so, as mercy is important, and exemplifies the Romanitas of 'Sparing the humble, and conquering the proud'. However, Aeneas doesn't show mercy in his killing of Turnus at the end of Book XII.
If you're into Greek Literature, read the rest of this review on my blog.
Show Less
LibraryThing member hlselz
I've read this one twice for school and I really like it. Its all about life, and the struggle to find ourselves, and our way home.
LibraryThing member bibliophile26
Before now, I'd only read portions of this that were assigned in high school and college. Reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (see book 55) inspired me to read it from cover to cover. It is a great classic book, but the repetition of things (Odysseus' story was retold to many people)
Show More
drove me crazy and I thought Odysseus was never going to reveal his identity and confront the suitors. Now I need to reread The Iliad. I'm going to try to read at least one classic book each summer. Show Less
LibraryThing member auntieknickers
Still a classic translation although there are several more recent.
LibraryThing member juliabeth
An epic tale with all kinds of different elements and that exists and works on many levels beyond the obvious, it is rereadable for generations (obviously). To look into the allusions alone would be a major work. Fitzgerald's translation is the only one that should be bothered with. As an oral
Show More
tradition transcribed, I highly recommend reading it aloud. It may not be the easiest undertaking if you're not accustomed to reading this kind of work; take it slow, find a friend or guide to help you, and read it anyway. It's so important. Show Less
LibraryThing member DiosoLibrary
Authors Homer, Robert Fitzgerald
Publisher Franklin Mint, 1976
Length 502 pages
Subjects Homer
Publisher Franklin Mint, 1976
Length 502 pages
Subjects Homer
LibraryThing member benuathanasia
Infinitely more enjoyable than the Iliad, but slightly different than I remember. I really don't remember the story being so disjointed. Don't get me wrong, I really love the Odyssey, but I would have preferred if it had been more linear (instead of so much of it being told in retrospect).
I didn't
I didn't
Show More
quite get to that point I often expereince with epic works where I feel as though I've lost a friend, though I will miss the great adventure! I wish more time had been devoted to Odysseus's actual voyage, but I'll take what I can get from such an ancient work. Show Less
LibraryThing member suzemo
I've read this classic a number of times. Most "recently" was for Mythology and Parageography at university. I always enjoy mythology, and I'm not a great judge of translations or anything, but I do better reading this outloud to myself.
I love Odysseus and his travels. I should read it more often.
I love Odysseus and his travels. I should read it more often.
LibraryThing member lhlogan1
A classic and a great look into Greek lit.
LibraryThing member mlyons1
Not for the faint of heart. But well worth the read.
LibraryThing member stillatim
It's the Odyssey; you should probably read it. Fitzgerald's version is very readable, and not particularly scholarly, so it's ideal for actually reading. I doubt it's much use if you're looking for a trot to read alongside the Greek, but since I don't know Greek... well, it suits my purposes.
Everyone who reads the thing seems to have an idea about the *one thing* the book is about, which is ridiculous, since even in translation you can see that it's a bunch of different stories stitched together with some cosmetic cover-up. Nonetheless, I have a theory for what one thing the book is about: the tragedy of hospitality. The moral code* is stressed throughout the book--be good to travelers and guests. Sometimes it's rationalized ("the guest might be a god!" or "Zeus orders it!"), and sometime not. But the big actions of the poem are all tied to being good to guests, and how it's just not actually possible. The two conclusions are Odysseus and crew slaughtering the suitors who, I will somewhat tendentiously argue, are guests; and the Phaeacians deciding that they have to place limits to their own kindness to guests. In other words, just as the Oresteia ends by 'resolving' the problem of mob-justice and revenge by setting up a formal judicial system, the Odyssey ends by resolving the problem of 'unwritten' laws of hospitality, by authorizing a weakening of them. I could really go out on a limb and say this is the ultimate end of the Trojan war: everyone is much more suspicious of everyone else, because too many people have abused social norms of kindness.
I don't expect anyone to actually buy that, but I had fun coming up with the theory.
* People like to say that Homer doesn't have morality the way 'we' have morality, because that makes them feel like a cool and revolutionary Nietzschean teenager. It is nonsense. If anything, the moral code presented in Homer is far more restrictive than that presented in, e.g., Dante, for the simple reason that the code in Homer is highly socialized, whereas that in Dante is entirely individual. There's no suggestion in Dante that doing wrong will bring down on you the wrath of other humans, which means you're free to go on being evil and take your chances on the afterlife. In Homer, people who do bad things suffer social consequences in this life. Okay, I'm overstating matters out of belligerence.
Show More
Everyone who reads the thing seems to have an idea about the *one thing* the book is about, which is ridiculous, since even in translation you can see that it's a bunch of different stories stitched together with some cosmetic cover-up. Nonetheless, I have a theory for what one thing the book is about: the tragedy of hospitality. The moral code* is stressed throughout the book--be good to travelers and guests. Sometimes it's rationalized ("the guest might be a god!" or "Zeus orders it!"), and sometime not. But the big actions of the poem are all tied to being good to guests, and how it's just not actually possible. The two conclusions are Odysseus and crew slaughtering the suitors who, I will somewhat tendentiously argue, are guests; and the Phaeacians deciding that they have to place limits to their own kindness to guests. In other words, just as the Oresteia ends by 'resolving' the problem of mob-justice and revenge by setting up a formal judicial system, the Odyssey ends by resolving the problem of 'unwritten' laws of hospitality, by authorizing a weakening of them. I could really go out on a limb and say this is the ultimate end of the Trojan war: everyone is much more suspicious of everyone else, because too many people have abused social norms of kindness.
I don't expect anyone to actually buy that, but I had fun coming up with the theory.
* People like to say that Homer doesn't have morality the way 'we' have morality, because that makes them feel like a cool and revolutionary Nietzschean teenager. It is nonsense. If anything, the moral code presented in Homer is far more restrictive than that presented in, e.g., Dante, for the simple reason that the code in Homer is highly socialized, whereas that in Dante is entirely individual. There's no suggestion in Dante that doing wrong will bring down on you the wrath of other humans, which means you're free to go on being evil and take your chances on the afterlife. In Homer, people who do bad things suffer social consequences in this life. Okay, I'm overstating matters out of belligerence.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SGTCat
Cool story.