Homer Fagles

Literature's grandest evocation of life's journey, at once an ageless human story and an individual test of moral endurance, Homer's ancient Greek epic The Odyssey is translated by Robert Fagles with an introduction and notes by Bernard Knox in Penguin Classics.When Robert Fagles' translation of The Iliad was published in 1990, critics and scholars alike hailed it as a masterpiece. Here, one of the great modern translators presents us with The Odyssey, Homer's best-loved poem, recounting Odysseus' wanderings after the Trojan War. With wit and wile, the 'man of twists and turns' meets the challenges of the sea-god Poseidon, and monsters ranging from the many-headed Scylla to the cannibalistic Cyclops Polyphemus - only to return after twenty years to a home besieged by his wife Penelope's suitors. In the myths and legends retold in this immortal poem, Fagles has captured the energy of Homer's original in a bold, contemporary idiom.Seven greek cities claim the honour of being the birthplace of Homer (c. 8th-7th century BC), the poet to whom the composition of the Iliad and Odyssey are attributed. The Iliad is the oldest surviving work of Western literature, but the identity - or even the existence - of Homer himself is a complete mystery, with no reliable biographical information having survived.If you enjoyed The Odyssey, you might like Robert Fagles' translation of The Iliad, also available in Penguin Classics.'Wonderfully readable ... Just the right blend of roughness and sophistication'Ted Hughes'A memorable achievement ... Mr Fagles has been remarkably successful in finding a style that is of our time and yet timeless'Richard Jenkyns, The New York Times Book Review'His translation of The Odyssey is his best work yet'Garry Wills, New Yorker"Okay, so here's what happened. I went out after work with the guys, we went to a perfectly nice bar, this chick was hitting on me but I totally brushed her off. Anyway we ended up getting pretty wrecked, and we might have smoked something in the bathroom, I'm not totally clear on that part, and then this gigantic one-eyed bouncer kicked us out so we somehow ended up at a strip club. The guys were total pigs but not me, seriously, that's not glitter on my neck. And then we totally drove right by these hookers without even stopping and here I am! Only a little bit late! By the way, I crashed the car and six of the guys are in jail. Ask for Officer Scylla."ABOUT HOMER: In the Western classical tradition, Homer is considered the author of The Iliad and The Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest of ancient Greek epic poets. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is unknown. Herodotus estimates that Homer lived 400 years before his own time, which would place him at around 850 BCE, while other ancient sources claim that he lived much nearer to the supposed time of the Trojan War, in the early 12th century BCE. Most modern researchers place Homer in the 7th or 8th centuries BCE.The formative influence of the Homeric epics in shaping Greek culture was widely recognized, and Homer was described as the teacher of Greece. Homer's works, which are about fifty percent speeches, provided models in persuasive speaking and writing that were emulated throughout the ancient and medieval Greek worlds. Fragments of Homer account for nearly half of all identifiable Greek literary papyrus finds.

: the Odyssey of Homer English Version ( World Classic Books the Odyssey of Homer )

The Odyssey of Homer

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As for my arrival in Ithaca, I came with my own ship and crew across the wine-dark sea. 

Lukas

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

— 1 Corinthians 13:11, King James Version.

You are no longer a child: you must put childish thoughts away. 

this is the most beautiful, poetically written translator's note i've ever read 

avarni

rid themselves of the hope that one might chisel a more perfect poem out of the rough marble of the text we have.

i'm so obsessed with athena and everything she represents. all her aspects are so perfectly opposing yet complimentary. being the goddess of weaving and of war seem contradictory, but ships cannot sail to troy without sails. she creates and destroys. she is also the god of industrialisation and computing and yes i will die on that hill. 

Her skill in weaving clothing for domestic use sits uneasily with her ability to weave deception and military strategy for the tapestry of war.

There is a stranger outside your house. Invite him inside. Do not ask questions. Wait. Let him sit on a comfortable chair and warm himself beside your fire. Let him eat and drink until he is satisfied. Be patient. When he is finished, he will tell his story. Listen carefully. It may not be as you expect.

I traveled with my ship and my companions over the wine-dark sea to foreign lands

Athena looked at him with sparkling eyes. Penelope, you and your sons will make a name in history, since you are so clever. 

So every day she wove the mighty cloth, and then at night by torchlight, she unwove it.

this is just genuinely good life advice  

Many birds go flying in sunlight, and not all are meaningful.

Meanwhile, bright-eyed Athena had a plan.

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