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3rd out of 165 books
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60 voters
My rating:
add to my books
The Odyssey
by
Homer,
Robert Fagles , Bernard Knox
If The Iliad is the world's greatest war epic, then The Odyssey is literature's grandest evocation of everyman's journey though life. Odysseus's reliance on his wit and wiliness for survival in his encounters with divine and natural forces during his ten-year voyage home to Ithaca after the Trojan War is at once a timeless human story and an individual test of moral endura...more
Paperback, 541 pages
Published
November 29th 1999
by Penguin Classics
(first published -750)
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So my first “non-school related" experience with Homer’s classic tale, and my most powerful impression, beyond the overall splendor of the story, was...HOLY SHIT SNACKS these Greeks were a violent bunch. Case in point:
...they hauled him out through the doorway into the court,...more
lopped his nose and ears with a ruthless knife,
tore his genitals out for the dogs to eat raw
and in manic fury hacked off hands and feet.
then once they’d washed their own hands and feet
Alex
rated it
"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...more
The Odyssey is, well, the Odyssey. Beyond being a tremendously exciting read, it is a foundational work in Western literature.
It is a glorious story of love and war, gods and humans, adventure in and around the Mediterranean (and, some argue, out to the West Indies). On the surface simply the story of Odysseus's adventures after the fall of Troy, it is a rich tapestry of places, characters, and creatures which have entered into the basic language of Western literature.
...more
It is a glorious story of love and war, gods and humans, adventure in and around the Mediterranean (and, some argue, out to the West Indies). On the surface simply the story of Odysseus's adventures after the fall of Troy, it is a rich tapestry of places, characters, and creatures which have entered into the basic language of Western literature.
...more
I'm going to the beach for about a week in less than an hour, and packing the requisite reading material is on the mind...
I'm going with Woolf's Mrs Dalloway (which is one of those got-through-a-hundred-pages-and-lost-my-copy kind of things) because I grabbed it the other day from the house I grew up in and after a couple dozen pages the intimations of extreme lucid vividness and linguistic bliss, not to mention cherished existential jibber-jabber, delightedly rose up to greet me aga...more
I'm going with Woolf's Mrs Dalloway (which is one of those got-through-a-hundred-pages-and-lost-my-copy kind of things) because I grabbed it the other day from the house I grew up in and after a couple dozen pages the intimations of extreme lucid vividness and linguistic bliss, not to mention cherished existential jibber-jabber, delightedly rose up to greet me aga...more
This is a marvelous poem. Everyone knows that. It has survived centuries - milennia. Now, thanks to Robert Fagles's brilliant and vivid translation, no reader should ever feel overwhelmed or literarily (word?) excluded by the Odyssey. While reading it, I learned that a) Greek men weep constantly, b) Greek hospitality is awesome and one receives many presents, c) Odysseus and Penelope's son Telemachus is pretty constantly an ass to his mother.
As the story winds down and Odysseus ret...more
As the story winds down and Odysseus ret...more
My first Odyssey, and so my favorite. I've read this edition a few times, and it's always a new experience. The rhythm of this translation is smooth and rolling, but it can have a narcotic effect in which the sounds and melody (even in silence) lull you away from the language and the story. This isn't a bad thing, of course, especially if you're hanging out on Circe's island or eating a little lotus. Maybe this is why episodes and words resonate differently on repeated readings- I find the book ...more
The Odyssey is a great book, and I wanted to really like it but some of the passages were repetitious and monotonous. The immortals are very tempermental and selfish, and seemed quick to judge and discipline. I was surprised that Athene helped Oddysseus and his family without a tragedy occurring, as she's not known to be a nice goddess. I liked all the quaint feasts in the book when someone was welcomed into anothers home; oxen, sheep, and cows, as well as wine, were offered as sacrifices to the...more
This is one story that really stuck with me all these years. I read this in Jr. High, and I loved it so much.
This story takes you on a breathtaking journey that will bring you to your feet in a standing ovation! The story of love, betrayal, courage,honor and more is timeless. The characters come to life.
The Odyssey will capture your mind and emotions, and you won't want to put it down. A great adventure.
This story takes you on a breathtaking journey that will bring you to your feet in a standing ovation! The story of love, betrayal, courage,honor and more is timeless. The characters come to life.
The Odyssey will capture your mind and emotions, and you won't want to put it down. A great adventure.
For reasons I don't remember, I gave The Odyssey three stars. I am now thinking that this text is probably above being rated since whether or not one "likes" Homer is beside the point. I am changing my rating to five stars with full admission that giving a rating to on one of the most important founding texts of western civilization is to take oneself a little to seriously.
The Odyssey written by Homer is about Greek gods and humans about their afterlive of the battle of Troy. The main character Odysseus is now trying to battle his way back home, to regain his normal life. As he tries to do so he encouters many difficulties. Odysseus left behind him before the battle of Troy a loving wife and son . As the two back home don't know when and if their father and husband is coming back ; a bunch of young men want to marry Odyssesus wife. Will Odysseus find his way back
...more
I am just begining this book and am totally scared to read it!!!! I mean it used to be in okd greek and than they translated it but i dont think they did a very good job cause it doesnt make any sense!!!!!
I know, as crazy as it sounds I didn't hate The Odyssey, in fact, at parts, I actually sorta/kinda liked it. I know, crazy. But whatever. Most people know what The Odyssey is about, and if they don't, they will. So, I am not going to waste time explaining it.
For those who have read it, here are my opinions:
Hate Penelope. Period. She is so whiny, and I am probably about to be shunned by the millions of Twilight fans, but she reminds me A LOT of Bella (cringe as fruit flies towa...more
For those who have read it, here are my opinions:
Hate Penelope. Period. She is so whiny, and I am probably about to be shunned by the millions of Twilight fans, but she reminds me A LOT of Bella (cringe as fruit flies towa...more
Here we are once again, with the poet imploring the Muse to sing her song about the adventures ensuing the the fall of Troy. Having just finished rereading The Iliad which told of the rage of Achilles and the Trojan War, I find The Odyssey a much more congenial book, seemingly modern in structure and outlook, even as it tells of events before the beginning of history as we know it. It tells the journey of Odysseus on his way home from Troy, a journey that takes him ten years. Odysseus is a man w...more
Now I'm showing off...
I'm not going to write a review for the Odyssey; I think that thousands of years of influence and praise speak for themselves.
However, I will tell you what happened when I was reading the last books of the poem, in which Penelope is reunited with her husband. In those days, I happened to be home alone while Alec was in Olney, dog-sitting his mother's dogs. Well, during that time, Alec had to fight against terrible storms that put his commute in peri...more
I'm not going to write a review for the Odyssey; I think that thousands of years of influence and praise speak for themselves.
However, I will tell you what happened when I was reading the last books of the poem, in which Penelope is reunited with her husband. In those days, I happened to be home alone while Alec was in Olney, dog-sitting his mother's dogs. Well, during that time, Alec had to fight against terrible storms that put his commute in peri...more
After reading The Iliad a couple years back, my hopes for enjoying Homer were not high. The battles and genealogies of The Iliad were interesting, but it felt more like reading history than fiction. It turned out my fears that The Odyssey would be the same were unfounded. The Odyssey, and its hero Odysseus, quickly slashed their way through the fray and became one of my all-time favorite books.
The Odyssey is, in part, the story of the hero Odysseus, a man so driven by love for his wi...more
The Odyssey is, in part, the story of the hero Odysseus, a man so driven by love for his wi...more
I don't think I had ever read this until my lovely wife got me this superb edition for Christmas. The translation was vivid and engaging. Though I can't compare it to others, I was quite impressed. Fagles struck a nice balance between adapting to modern language and preserving the oral-poetic cadences. Most striking to me was the great emphasis on hospitality as a virtue. Some passages were downright gospel-echoing, calling on people to give the best seat and the best cut of meat to their guests...more
The Odyssey went by much quicker for me than the Iliad. It picks up with Odysseus, hero, king, cunning, quick witted and all around favored by the gods type of guy, right after he left Troy.
Things go badly, of course, like most trips. At least the trips that you can make a good yarn out of for your audience. How boring would it be to say “Odysseus went home and everything was in order and waiting for him. The end.” Not likely to be asked after for a second telling, much less passed o...more
Things go badly, of course, like most trips. At least the trips that you can make a good yarn out of for your audience. How boring would it be to say “Odysseus went home and everything was in order and waiting for him. The end.” Not likely to be asked after for a second telling, much less passed o...more
As they were talking, a dog that had been lying asleep raised his head and pricked up his ears. This was Argos, whom Odysseus had bred before setting out for Troy, but he had never had any enjoyment from him. In the old days he used to be taken out by the young men when they went hunting wild goats, or deer, or hares, but now that his master was gone he was lying neglected on the heaps of mule and cow dung that lay in front of the stable doors till the men should come and draw it away to man...more
Asking me which are the best 50 books I’ve ever read, Illiad and Odysse will be definatly two of them I name … books I don’t get tired to read again and again.
ایلیاد و اودیسه پس از این همه قرن که از سروده شدنشان گذشته، هم چنان خواندنی و محبوب اند و میزان فروش چاپ ها و ترجمه های تازه شان به زبان های اروپایی رقیب پر فروش ترین آثار، نظیر آثار شکسپیر اند. وسعت واژه های بکار گرفته شده و زیبایی روایت این دو اثر، چنان است که خواننده هرگز زشتی جنگ و وقایع نا مبارک را آن چنان که هستند، احساس ...more
ایلیاد و اودیسه پس از این همه قرن که از سروده شدنشان گذشته، هم چنان خواندنی و محبوب اند و میزان فروش چاپ ها و ترجمه های تازه شان به زبان های اروپایی رقیب پر فروش ترین آثار، نظیر آثار شکسپیر اند. وسعت واژه های بکار گرفته شده و زیبایی روایت این دو اثر، چنان است که خواننده هرگز زشتی جنگ و وقایع نا مبارک را آن چنان که هستند، احساس ...more
Fagels's translation of the Iliad and the Odyssey are both magnificent -- highly readable, with forceful and direct prose that (I have to imagine, since I have no expertise) are closer to the experience of the original oral texts. For me, the measure if the success of the translation is whether it allows a text this old and culturally removed from the reader to retain its emotional impart. This one does -- though, unexpectedly (for me, anyway), it's most compelling moments actually belong to P...more
I haven't actually finished reading the book, and honestly, I don't intend to.
The story is truly interesting, because it's about Odysseus and all, but I think that this book is not yet for my age. The first 13 pages lulled me to sleep. Maybe later on in life, when I'm old and balding and have nothing to do, I'll pick this little book and decide to finish it :)
However, I recommend this book to those with Mythology lessons in their English class. Their is a glossary at the back most...more
The story is truly interesting, because it's about Odysseus and all, but I think that this book is not yet for my age. The first 13 pages lulled me to sleep. Maybe later on in life, when I'm old and balding and have nothing to do, I'll pick this little book and decide to finish it :)
However, I recommend this book to those with Mythology lessons in their English class. Their is a glossary at the back most...more
Will Bellais
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
all students who are on the road to "Ithaca"
I was a junior at New Mexico A&M (now New Mexico State Univerwsity) and working on the college swtichboard at night. This was the book that made the all-night devotion to the college switchboard more than a drudgery. It was Odesseus son Telemechus that struck me and later in life I read the poem "Ithaca" by the Greek poet of the early 20th century that it call came into my emotional view. The structure of the Oddessey is interesting as it does not follow a straight chronological line, ...more
The Odyssey is an epic travelogue, that recounts the adventures that Odysseus, hero of the Greeks in the Trojan War, experienced on his return home to Ithaca. Cunning, wily Odysseus is a treat to have as a protagonist--a true master of persuasion, social etiquette, temperance, and justice. One of the major themes of the work is the idea of hospitality. Odysseus experiences different degrees of proper or "right" hospitality, and different degrees of improper or "wrong" hospi...more
One of the few books that I've read about 10 times. Not so much because I loved the book (although I do like it very much), but because I had to write multiple papers on it for HS and college. I do recommend Fagles' translation over that of Latimore's. I had fun interpreting Odysseus as a cunning thief and Penelope as a high-paid prostitute. Penelope was by no means a victim in the whole ordeal. She was just giving Odysseus his comeuppance...after all, why should the man have all the fun? Odysse...more
What more can be said? The legendary epic of the hero king Odysseus, wandering home from the Trojan War, given no rest nor clear path by the gods, driven around all of the known world, beyond it, and to the underworld and back.
Fighting all manner of monsters, horrors, tricksters, coming home at last to his country, he finds suitors seeking his wife's hand and his domain. Showing the might and wit of his fame, stringing the bow that only he can string, reclaiming after years of weary...more
Fighting all manner of monsters, horrors, tricksters, coming home at last to his country, he finds suitors seeking his wife's hand and his domain. Showing the might and wit of his fame, stringing the bow that only he can string, reclaiming after years of weary...more
I'm not sure if it's just the translation I read, but I got the impression that Odysseus was kind of a liar. Like, I knew the story of The Odyssey from middle school, but I'd never really realized that the story itself isn't really told except in flashbacks and whatnot, mostly coming from Odysseus as he's all like "Oh, I can explain where I've been for the past twenty (or however many) years." I'm not sure if I'm just being an annoying skeptic, but wouldn't it be kind of nifty if Odyss...more
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I'm not sure, but I think this was the edition I read & liked the best - I've read several over the years. I liked the 'full' or 'best translated' versions & the highly edited versions the least. There's a happy medium in there. The full versions have a lot characters & stuff going on that doesn't add to the story & just confuses me. When edited too much, the story loses its flavor.
The story line, plot, can't be beat. Much of the motivation of the characters seems weak or over-u...more
The story line, plot, can't be beat. Much of the motivation of the characters seems weak or over-u...more
The Odyssey
I would recommend this novel to a person who enjoys adventures, fiction, and myth. My favorite character is Odysseus because, he’s the main character in the story and he is one of the only ones that lived through the entire journey. My least favorite character is the Cyclops, because he was a huge distraction on their mission. The Cyclops ate most of the characters and I did not like the setting of where they were. Homer wrote this novel to tell a great story of myth and ...more
I would recommend this novel to a person who enjoys adventures, fiction, and myth. My favorite character is Odysseus because, he’s the main character in the story and he is one of the only ones that lived through the entire journey. My least favorite character is the Cyclops, because he was a huge distraction on their mission. The Cyclops ate most of the characters and I did not like the setting of where they were. Homer wrote this novel to tell a great story of myth and ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Which translation? | 15 | 63 | 3 hours, 22 min ago | |
| Brain Pain: Discussion - Joyce's Ulysses and Homer's Odyssey | 1 | 20 | Jan 27, 2012 08:22am | |
| 6th period Englis...: Odysseus as a Good Example (December 23rd) | 25 | 24 | Dec 23, 2011 01:47pm | |
| 4th period Englis...: Odysseus as a good example (December 23rd) | 28 | 28 | Dec 23, 2011 12:34pm | |
| From Troy to Ithaca | 32 | 76 | Dec 02, 2011 11:29am | |
| NOV. 15-23 | 1 | 20 | Nov 22, 2011 12:04pm | |
| NOV. 15-23 | 1 | 9 | Nov 22, 2011 11:56am |
Homer (ancient Greek: Ὅμηρος), or Omero (in Italian), is a legendary ancient Greek epic poet, traditionally considered the author of the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey. No reliable biographical information about Homer survives from classical antiquity, and he is generally considered a legendary, rather than a historical figure. The Iliad and the Odyssey are now considered by many to be the p...more
More about Homer...
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“Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man.”
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267 people liked it
“A man who has been through bitter experiences and travelled far enjoys even his sufferings after a time”
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Sep 07, 2011 09:07pm
Thanks, Shelly. You really should. It's a great read.
Sep 08, 2011 07:05pm