Name: The Odyssey
Rating: 3.736764705882353 (1020 reviews)
ISBN: 9780141192444

Homer

D. C. H. Rieu

E. V. Rieu

Chronicles the exploits and adventures of the warrior Odysseus as he struggles to return home to Ithaca and his beloved wife, Penelope, after the fall of Troy.

The Odyssey

里森

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.

They poured libations to the deathless gods, especially to the bright-eyed child of Zeus.

Gray-eyed Athena, daughter of the Thunder, became enraged and brought about disaster.

"The day the Greeks marched off to Troy, their minds fixated on the war and violence. They made my face the cause that hounded them."

it is the only honor we can pay the dead– to cut our hair and drench our cheeks with tears. 

"There was no need to go on those swift ships that gallop like horses over miles of salty water. Did he intend to lose his name as well, and be unknown?"

Tell if he is alive and sees the sun, or dead already in the house of Hades!

Whoever drinks this mixture from the bowl will shed no tears that day, not even if her mother or her father die, nor even if soldiers kill her brother or her darling son with bronze spears before her very eyes.

a collection of my favourite translations of "rhododáktulos ēṓs" so far 

Then Dawn rose up from bed with Lord Tithonus, to bring the light to deathless gods and mortals.

The early Dawn was born; her fingers bloomed.

When newborn Dawn appeared with rosy fingers

When rosy-fingered Dawn came bright and early

if you understood how glutted you will be with suffering before you reach your home, you would stay here with me 

I think my troubles will not end until the gods have done their all.

Homero,

ODYSSEY.

Plattypus

kinda felt like reading the bible but much more cohesive

Wilson’s Odyssey captures the beauty and enchantment of this ancient poem as well as the suspense and drama of its narrative. Its characters are unforgettable, from the cunning goddess Athena, whose interventions guide and protect the hero, to the awkward teenage son, Telemachus, who struggles to achieve adulthood and find his father; from the cautious, clever, and miserable Penelope, who somehow keeps clamoring suitors at bay during her husband’s long absence, to the “complicated” hero himself, a man of many disguises, many tricks, and many moods, who emerges in this translation as a more fully rounded human being than ever before.

Ashley Denktas

Reading this translation started a bit slow to me, but once I got into the groove I enjoyed the story and the prose. I thought I had read the Odyssey before, but I had only read excerpts - specifically the book that details the encounter with the cyclops. It was surprising to me how many of the iconic parts of the Odyssey that most people talk about take up maybe like 3-5 pages on average? The sirens are only about 5 pages, the voyage by scylla and charybis is about 3 pages, Circe has a bigger role but she's bested pretty fast and is in the story for about one book. It's interesting those are remembered in popular culture despite being an extremely small part of the journey. I was also surprised that for about one third of the book Odysseus wasn't in the narrative, and it focused on his son, Telemachus, trying to have some sort of heroic endeavor. This part for me felt a bit slow, but it was interesting to analyze why this part was so big in the narrative. In ancient Greece, did people just really think that was riveting? Is it because many in the crowd listening could relate to not having a chance to prove their heroism? Or simply is it because the journey was the most compelling part of any story told? Some reoccuring elements that popped up in my book annotations in no particular order: - The characters seem to weep and sob uncontrollably all the time. It was surprising to see many men and women do this. To openly show emotions like this in front of anyone wasn't painted as weird or inappropriate. Also whenever characters were weeping at a feast it was emphasized they were always drinking wine - maybe allow them to try and forget their suffering? Helen even explicitly does this when making a potion for some of the warriors in her house to feel good despite their lamentations about the war. Additionally, people explicitly stated their emotions and thoughts. I did laugh at loud when the suitors basically admitted in front of everyone that they would be insecure if a homeless guy beat them in a bow contest. - People didn't seem to take ownership for their actions, except Odysseus in some instances. Their choices and fates were all willed by the gods and their temperaments. One funny instance of this is when Penelope says that Aphrodite caused Helen to run off with Paris and cause suffering for all of Greece. My annotation was "girlies really do stick together #godsfault". The implication of that is further reinforces that one's status or fortune is just as it is. Societal hierarchies and perceived stereotypes are just the way things are. This is further emphasized by the "good" slaves, loving their master and loving serving his house's needs despite not being free to improve their own well-being. - There was a "right" way to live. Monsters are described as backwards and the cyclops as wasting resources despite the fact their islands seemed kinda lit and preserved nature. The farmers of Ithaca and elsewhere were shown as hard working, but honestly exhausted. So maybe the ancient greeks shoulda checked themselves. - Odysseus's lying is front and center, and he even consistently lies to his family to test them before he truly announces he is home. It made me wonder if this was praised in society if it could help you get the upper hand in some sort of scheme or what you were after. It seems to be a little at odds with the value of xenia. This was particularly funny during the siren part because Circe says "if you want to listen to the sirens...," and then the next page Odysseus goes "Circe said I need to listen to the sirens." Um dude what. Either way, it illustrated that his desires came before his men, and though I don't think he wanted them to die, they were treated as a means to an end for Odysseus's quest for home and greatness. - "Their aggression touches the iron sky" pg 405. Iron sky was a phrase that stopped me in my tracks. Is it referencing that there is a battle on the horizon? Is it suggesting these men think they are battle ready. Either way, this line kinda goes hard. - Everyone immediately wants to know everyone's life story the second they walk into someone's house. I thought it was quite funny and even annotated in one part like, "why does everyone immediately want to dox each other?" We could learn a bit from this custom in modern times. We could all be a bit more curious about the people we find ourselves occupying the same space with and learn a bit more about how they have come to navigate and view the world. - "So live and spread the word that doing good is far superior to wickedness" pg 489. #wordstoliveby. Reminds me of a quote I like: "We must cheerfully refuse the apocalypse in all forms." in I cheerfully refuse by Leif Enger. - I thought it was kinda crazy that the "traitor" slave girls were brought out to clean the blood and bodies of the suitors before themselves being hanged (as it was emphasized they shouldn't have a quick death). In the passage describing their cleaning and looming death, it's said "they will forget the things the suitors made them do with them in secret, through Aphrodite." Not only is this saying that Aphrodite might be the cause of this (which then ok maybe we could do a lesser sentence because this "crime" goes two ways), but is it also suggesting they will now be beautiful and forgiven by paying the ultimate price for their actions: surrendering their lives? Odysseus and the Odyssey are truly "complicated" as Wilson puts in the first line of the poem. War and death cause suffering, but they bring legacy and heroism. Lying is deceitful, yet praised several times even by Athena the goddess of wisdom herself. The poem repeats the plot points of journey, shipwreck, and supernatural encounter several times over in a way that should be boring. Though this likely stems from its oral traditions (and thus likely made it easy to memorize and retell), this format must have resonated with the people who first heard it. And it still does because I had fun reading it, and I'm going to see the movie adaptation in a couple weeks. Its been a muse inspiring many stories thereafter. I even annotated passages to use as inspiration for my siren DND character. I think if you ask me to pick between the Odyssey and Illiad, I'd choose the Illiad since a wider cast of Gods seemed to be more directly involved in the narrative a bit more. However, I cannot deny that Wilson's translation was a piece of art worth experiencing. I highly recommend this book, and hope you read it before seeing the upcoming Nolan adaptation.

'The Odyssey is a poem of extraordinary pleasures: it is a salt-caked, storm-tossed, wine-dark treasury of tales, of many twists and turns, like life itself' Guardian The epic tale of Odysseus and his ten-year journey home after the Trojan War forms one of the earliest and greatest works of Western literature. Confronted by natural and supernatural threats - ship-wrecks, battles, monsters and the implacable enmity of the sea-god Poseidon - Odysseus must use his bravery and cunning to reach his homeland and overcome the obstacles that, even there, await him. E. V. Rieu's translation of The Odyssey was the very first Penguin Classic to be published, and has itself achieved classic status. Translated by E. V. RIEU Revised translation by D. C. H. RIEU With an Introduction by PETER JONES

Penguin Classics

Tiara Sharma

The Odyssey (Penguin Classics)

Alejandro Silva

That’s was really hard to read but woooow 

yuvika

quite adventurous for greek literature. a new read for me. had both emotional and humorous aspects making it more interesting and relatable. but would probably not come back to this genre.

Pramod Anandarao

both telemachus and odysseus are lowkey nimbys

"Books XVII and XVIII of the Odyssey feature, among other episodes, the disguised Odysseus' penetration of his home after an absence of twenty years and his first encounter with his wife. The commentary provides linguistic and syntactical guidance suitable for upper-level students along with detailed consideration of Homer's compositional and narrative techniques, his literary artistry and the poem's central themes. An extensive introduction considers questions of formulaic composition, the nature of the poem's audience and the context of its performance, and isolates the concerns most prominent in the poem's second half and in Books XVII and XVIII in particular. Here too are considered the roles of Penelope and Telemachus, questions of disguise and recognition, and the institution of hospitality flaunted by the suitors in Odysseus' halls. Brief sections also discuss Homeric metre and the transmission of the text"--

"Homer's Odyssey tells a familiar story: a hero, a veteran of the Trojan War, returns home after ten trial-filled years of wandering in exotic lands only to find his halls occupied by 108 carousing youths who court his wife in the hope that the lawful husband and master has perished abroad. And yet for all the simplicity of its tale, the poet's technique is brilliantly intricate; from the notorious tease of the opening line which hides the epic hero's name, to the sudden threat of retaliation from the dead suitors' kin in the closing episode, the composition uses flashbacks and internal narratives, dramatic irony, doubling, and retardation devices to keep us wondering how exactly affairs in Ithaca will be resolved. It is a work that, not surprisingly, has exercised a lasting fascination from archaic through to contemporary times, and that has been re-imagined in countless forms, visual, verbal and musical among them. If another study of the Odyssey needs no justification, then the choice to focus on books 17 and 18may prompt the question 'why these?'One reason is the sheer diversity and tonal range of the two books' contents, which run from the burlesque comedy of the boxingmatch between the disguised Odysseus and the parasite Irus to the charged moment when the hero re-enters his home after his twenty years' absence and first sets eyes on his wife. The pathos of the death of the tick-infested Argus, who has kept vigil for his master ever since his departure, is unmistakable, its poignancy sharpened by the entirely different episode preceding it, where Odysseus meets the churlish cowherd Melanthius and is treated to language and threats normally excluded from the epic register"--

Odyssey

A book that can not stand the course of time is automatically not a perfect piece of literature. It looks generic to my 2026 eyes as it should, the same way the first films created in the 1890s that were 15m long don’t and aren’t meant to impress me anymore but I still respect them.

Johny Tale the Second

Emily Wilson

“Just a bunch of people going to each other’s houses”.

Gracie

No offense but they could’ve been more straightforward when conversing among themselves 

Tanay

"This is a translation of the epic Greek poem by Homer."--Provided by publisher.

A New Translation by Peter Green

M. Sosotris

A phenomenal translation! 

I loved how Green captures the epic sweep of the poem while deftly handling the humour and family drama of the poem. I also greatly appreciated the fabulous footnotes which discussed complexities of translation and narrative oddities.

This is also an incredible translation for beginners. The introduction is complex and insightful, and Green includes detailed synopses of the books at the end for quick perusal.

I had a great time with this translation and hold it up alongside Lattimore, Fagles, and Wilson.

Composed at the rosy-fingered dawn of world literature almost three millennia ago, The Odyssey is a poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty and power; about marriage and family; about travelers, hospitality, and the yearning for home.This fresh, authoritative translation captures the beauty of this ancient poem as well as the drama of its narrative. Its characters are unforgettable, none more so than the "complicated" hero himself, a man of many disguises, many tricks, and many moods, who emerges in this version as a more fully rounded human being than ever before.Written in iambic pentameter verse and a vivid, contemporary idiom, Emily Wilson's Odyssey sings with a voice that echoes Homer's music; matching the number of lines in the Greek original, the poem sails along at Homer's swift, smooth pace.A fascinating, informative introduction explores the Bronze Age milieu that produced the epic, the poem's major themes, the controversies about its origins, and the unparalleled scope of its impact and influence. Maps drawn especially for this volume, a pronunciation glossary, and extensive notes and summaries of each book make this is an Odyssey that will be treasured by a new generation of readers.

The Odyssey is perfect. No other review is needed.

BUT 

Emily Wilson’s translation is incredible. It’s slick, fun, rollicking, and relatable. This was the first translation I’ve read where I really care about Telemachus. He’s not a cipher, he’s a whole human guy who finds his courage throughout the story. I just love how, when all the pretentious language of the 19th century is stripped away, you really see how human the characters are.

Highly highly recommend, both for scholars and for mythology nerds. I really like how Wilson doesn’t gloss over depictions of slavery, nor does she try to cast Odysseus as a virtuous hero by downplaying his flaws or vices (he’s definitely Ancient Greek James Bond). Everything feels fresh without being too modernized. 

The rhythm and meter move at a wonderful gait, and the imagery is stunning.

I adore this translation, and so should you!

Meryln Thomas

For ten years of war they've killed us slowly...

Ari 💙💛

Alright my brothers listen closely,

(duh duh duh duh)

tonight we make the Trojans pay.

For ten years of war they've killed us slowly...

but now we'll be the one's who SLAaAy 

✨

The Odyssey is vividly captured and beautifully paced in this swift and lucid new translation by acclaimed scholar and translator Peter Green. Accompanied by an illuminating introduction, maps, chapter summaries, a glossary, and explanatory notes, this is the ideal translation for both general readers and students to experience The Odyssey in all its glory. Green’s version, with its lyrical mastery and superb command of Greek, offers readers the opportunity to enjoy Homer’s epic tale of survival, temptation, betrayal, and vengeance with all of the verve and pathos of the original oral tradition.

You feel proud when you’re finished with Homer’s great epic. A bit long and sometimes confusing but the story of hardship and patience is vital to this generation of young adults. What’s yours is waiting for you at the end of your journey. 

Joe Ricupero

Robert Fagles

Bernard Knox

a keystone text for liberalism, not conservatism

Ghee

odysseus said ‘lord of lies? watch me.’ 

marie

It’s a revolutionary epic poem for its time, but at current times it falls quite plain. 

Ester Waclavova

Andrea Morales

the translation. was. amazing!! <<3
even though i’m more of a ‘the Iliad’ kind of girl, this was a very fun, fast paced and beautiful written tale!

miss wilson did an amazing job at translating this to modern and easy-to-read english, she also made sure de meter de su cosecha to make this thousand year old text into something completely new.

Chloé

Sean Wilson

Epic was promised, epic was delivered. We also loved the cadence of this translation.

chloe rae

Damn, what a story.
I'm currently taking a Greek and Roman Mythology course online and our first few weeks were spent dissecting this beast of a novel. We were supposed to finish the book weeks ago but I just found myself taking my time, really divulging myself in this tale. Also, this story could be so dense at times, a single speech lasting up to 5 pages with no break from dialogue. It could definitely be beautiful, but also pretty tedious. 
There's a lot to unpack here (like, SO MUCH) but overall, I honestly had a lot of fun reading this! It was wild and dramatic and a little dumb at times (and suuuuper problematic) but it was so interesting reading such an old, epic story. One of the oldest stories to exist! Like, that's rad!
Here are some highlights I wrote down while reading:
-Helen calls herself a 'whore' literally because she's so beautiful that some dude stole her from her other husband. She's the face that 'launched a thousand ships' but she's a WHORE for just existing? 
-Aeolus had six sons and six daughters and made them MARRY each other
-Cannibalism
-MORE cannibalism?!
-Just a bunch of women having affairs but the men having them aren't discussed or judged, uh, ever?
-Wow, every dude in this book weeps.
-Still so many dudes crying
-THAT is the last chapter?
Those are just SOME of the notes I wrote down while reading. A lot of themes addressed in this book I found to still be very relevant today; the themes of friendship and courage and love. This really is an EPIC story. But I honestly think this particular translation by Robert Fagles is the reason I enjoyed it so much. I feel like he made this story so easy to follow and understand. What a dude!
This story is messed up, make no mistake. But reading it purely with the intention of delving into the text critically for a class was the perfect way to start this. And then the story was just so interesting and insane I had to finish! What a ride.

Kendall McClain

Odysseus is an Aquarius (derogatory) 

Mans acting like he’s the picture of morality for wanting to go home when he’s going everywhere but Ithaca!! Grow up!!

The Odyssey.

I love Greek mythology. I do not like Odysseus 👎🏼

sophie <3

erin

(review of the Emily Wilson translation. GoodReads is piss poor at managing merged editions, so added for clarity)

A sparkling translation that brings something new and vibrant to the work. Easy to read, it drew me in and I finished it in a single sitting. I think this'll inspire and invite a whole slew of new people to Homer. I hope so, anyway.

The Odyssey

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