The Odyssey

Wonderful book to give people lessons and encourage for the life. Excellent translation.

As I said in a recent review of Robert Fagles' translation of the Iliad into English, there are very few people on the planet with the necessary knowledge to judge his work as a translator of Homer, and so I cannot comment on the quality of the translation other than to say that I enjoyed the end product immensely. I'll confine my comments more narrowly towards the poem itself and Homer, its author. After reading Fagles' translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey I am struck by one thing and that is this. At no time do any of the major characters (Achilles, Odysseus, etc.) show regret for killing any of the numerous people that they do. They may regret that they offended the gods in some way but that is not the same thing as admitting moral culpability. So for example, in Book 9 of the Odyssey, Odysseus recounts how after leaving Troy (which he sacked) his ships attacked the city of Ismarus, home to the Cicones. His men killed all the men of the town and took all the women as sex slaves. Never once does Odysseus show regret for this action which took place after the Trojan War was already over. Never once does any god or goddess (e.g., Athena) chastise him for this action or punish him for it. He and his men are punished for other lesser offenses such as killing the cows of the Sun, but the attitude that Homer clearly has is that all things are fair in war. This is clearly the attitude of Homer's own times and it stands in stark contrast to our own. The Homeric gods do not uphold a consistent standard of morality applicable to all human beings. Indeed, since they fight amongst each other and since they each have their own agenda all that a man need do to survive is to find favor with a particular god or goddess who will protect him. And that seems to be what Odysseus does with Athena protecting him although Poseidon wants him to suffer. So the question of whether Odysseus is morally right would not even enter Homer's mind. It is beside the point. If we keep this point in mind I think we can understand the flow of the poem much better. It does seem ironic that a man like Odysseus would be zealous for supplicants' rights, supposedly granted by Zeus, in the case of himself being the supplicant (e.g., in Phaeacia, etc.) while at the same time refusing Leodes in Book 22 who pleads for his life. Odysseus lops off his head with a sword. Apparently Homer sees no contradiction in this since no explanation is ever given, but then again Odysseus is the man of twists and turns. I doubt his moral rectitude was ever the main point. Homer makes him out to be somewhat prickly and unapproachable. If he were written today we would call Odysseus the antihero which is quite ironic given that he is one of the prime archetypes of the Greek hero. Of course, the travels and travails starting with the island of the Cyclops are great fun. It's hard to imagine that Homer had some historical itinerary in mind although I would note that at the time of writing the Odyssey (725 - 675 BCE) the Greeks were exploring and establishing colonies around the entire Mediterranean. There must have been fabulous sailors' tales in circulation concerning the strange people the Greeks were coming into contact with. This would have been similar to the fantastic tales that came out of the European age of exploration in the 16th and 17th centuries. All it would take would be for Homer to latch onto some of the more outrageous tales and adapt them to his own needs. Book 11 which has Odysseus and crew voyage to Hades, the Land of the Dead, was quite interesting although it was never quite explained why the spirits in Hades couldn't build their own ships and leave Hades the way Odysseus did. In any case the Odyssey is a lot of rollicking good fun for the most part. It is one of the first adventure stories ever told and it's still a great read all these centuries later.

Nothing I can say about this that hasn't already been said. An amazing story and a very readable translation.

it is a classic, what's not to like, easy on the eyes

For a paperwork, the quality was very good.

The Odyssey is one of Western Civilization's greatest works of art, and it is also accessible to most readers. There is gold here not only a mile deep but also an inch beneath the surface. Everyone should spend some time and acquaint themselves with the stories which are at the roots of our culture. The Odyssey tells the tail of Odysseus, an Aegean hero from The Iliad, and his struggle to return home. Within this story are weaved complex themes of the causes of misfortune that befalls mankind, the longing for home, the journey from childhood into manhood, the changes journeys bring about, and the constant struggle of violence and retribution that seems to exist pervasively in time and across cultures. The Odyssey is truly a sequel to The Iliad because it builds off of and responds to many of the ideas presented there. For example, The Iliad paints a vivid picture of the pride and desire for glory that compels mankind into conflict. In that book, great honor is won in conflict. Here, in The Odyssey, we see the misfortunes that arise as consequences of our quests for glory. Thus, we see that Homer paints an incredibly perceptive view of mankind, and how we cause our own misfortune. We are locked in eternal struggle due to our own impulses and desire to rise above ordinary. We engage in conflict to, in some way, complete ourselves. As a result, retribution comes down on us in one form or another. This circle continues, and seemingly hasn't stopped revolving close to three-thousand years later. Homer is important to us because what is written here is still relevant. Humans may have new technology and clothes, but we are still cut from the same cloth as Telemachus and Odysseus. I read the Robert Fagles Penguin Deluxe edition, and I found the translation to fit my needs perfectly. Fagles keeps a close eye on the rhythms and beats of the English language and is direct when the poem turns towards bloodshed.

It was gift

Good value and was in good shape.

Great deluxe edition if you love the cover and translation. But for any other reason do not buy this edition. Eventhough it is penguin deluxe, they are just paperbacks at the end of the day and the price is quite steep. The pages are a bit thin but other than that perfect edition of Odyssey.

Le produit est arrivé plus vite que ce qui m'avait été annoncé ! Quelle rapidité ! Emballage très sécurisé, produit de qualité. J'avais essayé de commander ce produit dans différentes librairies parisiennes spécialisées, mais toutes m'ont répondu qui'l fallait attendre un délai minimum de trois semaines ! Amazon me l'a envoyé en moins de quatre jours ! Et pour le même prix.

Good quality. All these people complaining about the paper edges throughout books like this.. It’s meant to be like that and gives a really nice effect.

Printing error, we received a copy from a bad batch with ribbed pages. Rest of the quality was good but this was unfortunate and i hope Amazon removes the bad books from the batch. Buyers beware!

I GOT THE BOOK COMPLET AND ON TIME BUT SEEMS THE EDGES WERE CUT IN A BAD WAY AND IT LOOKS BAD