The Bending of the Bow: A Version of the Closing Books of Homer's Odyssey

by Neil Curry, Homer

A tremendously vital retelling of the closing books in The Odyssey, this should find wide readership among students, teachers, and general readers. The images are reproduced from the drawings Jim Dine made in 1987-88 from Greek and Roman statuary at the Glyptotek Museum in Munich. ""The pairing of image and word is amazingly close"" - Print Collector's Newsletter. ""Moves easily and quickly - racy and amusing"" - Orbis.

63 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Margo Laurie]

A loose translation of Homer's Odyssey focusing on the final furlong of the epic when the hero returns to Ithaca. It's lyrical but in a colloquial voice with a hint of humour that suits the ancient epic very well. I really loved it.

I've read/listened to various versions of this tale before, but this was the first time I noticed how much the goddess Athene helps characters look glamorous at crucial moments. When Odysseus wants to impress Penelope, he has a bath and new clothes, and "Athene even added a touch herself, making him just that little bit more handsome, maybe an inch or so taller, and curling his hair as tightly as the petals on a hyacinth." (p.60).

Neil Curry softens the story by leaving out the bit where Odysseus orders for the maids to be killed. He's more a more likeable hero as a result.