Odyssey IX

by Όμηρος

Paperback, 80 pages

English language

Published June 1, 1980 by Duckworth Publishing, Bristol Classical Press.

ISBN:: 978-0-906515-61-7

(17 reviews)

The Odyssey (/ˈɒdəsi/; Greek: Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second oldest extant work of Western literature, the Iliad being the oldest. Scholars believe it was composed near the end of the 8th century BC, somewhere in Ionia, the Greek coastal region of Anatolia. - [Wikipedia][1]

[1]: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey

117 editions

Arbieroo reviewed The Iliad by Όμηρος

Review of 'The Iliad' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is the second time I've read this - the first was E.V. Rieu's prose translation, which is not a patch on this, Fagles' verse version. This time round it felt much less cartoonish and more dramatic and I picked up on much more character depth. The song of Achilles' rage reflects better on Hector than Achilles himself. Hector is much more the heroic ideal we have now - Achilles is frequently proud, petty - angry, of course - and self-centred, yet capable of generosity and empathy. The gods, when on Olympus are the epitome of a dysfunctional, squabbling extended family, conniving, bullying, fighting, manipulating...yet down on Earth they are indeed gods - magical, majestic, awe-inspiring and superhumanly powerful.

Great stuff.