Homer's great epic describes the many adventures of Odysseus, Greek warrior, as he strives over many years to return to his home island of Ithaca after the Trojan War. His colourful adventures, his endurance, his love for his wife and son have the same power to move and inspire readers today as they did in Archaic Greece, 2800 years ago. This poem has been translated many times over the years, but Chapman's sinewy, gorgeous rendering (1616) stands in a class of its own. Chapman believed himself inspired by the spirit of Homer himself, and matches the breadth and power of the original with a complex and stunning idiom of his own. John Keats expressed his admiration for the resulting work in the famous sonnet, 'On first looking into Chapman's Homer': 'Much have I travelled in the realms of gold...'

Reviews

Robert Fagles's 1990 translation of The Iliad was highly praised; here, he moves to The Odyssey. As in the previous work, he adroitly mixes contemporary language with the driving rhythms of the original. The first line reads: "Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns/ driven time and again off course once he had plundered/ the hallowed heights of Troy." Hellenic scholar Bernard Knox contributes extensive introductory commentary, providing both historical and literary perspective. Notes, a pronouncing glossary, genealogies, a bibliography and maps of Homer's world are included.

Gr 6 Up-Concise and briskly paced, this dynamic comic-book version streamlines Homer's plot and zooms in on the all-out monster-trouncing, enchantress-encountering, death-defying action. The exploits of the square-jawed Odysseus are resplendent in bold lines and jewel tones while the fickle gods and goddesses shimmer in translucent hues. A reader-grabbing intro to the epic. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

There is no better way to encounter an epic that derives from an oral tradition than to hear it narrated by a fine Shakespearean actor. This requires a great translation, and this shining new verse translation by Robert Fagles‘who also translated The Iliad (Audio Reviews, LJ 7/92)‘has been rightly hailed as a masterpiece. It captures, in swift rhythms and flawless utterance, the tone, the temper, the very life of Homer's antic world without once sounding antiquated. The tale of Odysseus's long-awaited return from the Trojan Wars is majestically realized by Ian McKellan (seen most recently on film in Cold Comfort Farm and Richard III). Resisting every temptation to ham Homer's bardic lines, the sonorous-voiced McKellan hits home with truthful simplicity throughout, as if he were spinning out a heartfelt story during a long night in a pub. A fine introduction by Bernard Knox is included, but Penguin has reached new heights in bad presentation values, insuring instant destruction of the plastic containers within, while the music sounds like a petrified chicken on an infant's keyboard. But the words, like Homer's gods, are deathless. What more can a listener ask for? Highly recommended for all collections.‘Peter Josyph, New York