From the Bookshelf of Classics and the Western Canon…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
showing 3 of 3 topics
view all »
Other topics mentioning this book
*
Please introduce yourself~
By Everyman · 1672 posts · 1827 views
By Everyman · 1672 posts · 1827 views
last updated Sep 26, 2025 01:10PM
Planning for our second 2018 read
By Everyman · 46 posts · 170 views
By Everyman · 46 posts · 170 views
last updated Jun 11, 2018 01:09PM
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Intro and Parts 1 & 2
By David · 72 posts · 80 views
By David · 72 posts · 80 views
last updated Dec 30, 2018 03:06PM
What Members Thought
The four stars are for the translation, obviously. She is a little too brisk for me, and some of her modernising jars a little. I also do not agree with some of her interpretations (though I do like her emphasis on the “slave” rather than, for example, “maid” or similar).
Really what always surprises me every time I read this text is how little of it is actually taken up with the big hits - the sirens etc - and how clearly it is really much more concerned with homecoming (and the whole thing bei ...more
Really what always surprises me every time I read this text is how little of it is actually taken up with the big hits - the sirens etc - and how clearly it is really much more concerned with homecoming (and the whole thing bei ...more
Joe Sachs' translation is clean, clear, and accurate. It lacks the poetry of many other translations, but there are plenty of those and not enough of these. The only one it compares to is Lattimore, but Sachs treads more lightly, more like Odysseus himself, and less like Achilles. Sachs wisely appends his "introduction" to the end of the work, a gesture of good sense and humility. Like Peter Green, Sachs spent a whole career reading and questioning and talking about the classical Greeks before s
...more
Do you want a new translation of The Odyssey? Yes, yes you want this new translation by Emily Wilson, if only for the 90 page Introduction/Translator’s Note. But the poem is very readable, set in iambic pentameter, so it keeps the formality of the original while easy to read. Notes and a list of names at the back (plus a few maps) help out if you feel lost. This is the first translation of The Odyssey into English by a woman and I think it’ll last for a while. Thanks to Kyle @w.w.norton 😽😽 for s
...more
Emily Wilson’s translation of the classic tale of Odysseus’ voyage and return home is very readable, and her notes on the text provide some context without overwhelming the reader. I enjoyed her version, but based on the passages I compared, this version is a little too breezy to replace my much loved Robert Fitzgerald translation.
Easy to read translation, the text itself does not take that long to read. The intro is full of good info but is a slog. I read this for weeks 1-4 of the coursera class Greek and Roman Mythology, which is why it took me so long to get through. The course is great, and I am gad to have read this complete poem—I believe I read a huge excerpt in a high school English class (eons ago).
It is a little weird to finally read something you actually know a lot about.
It is a little weird to finally read something you actually know a lot about.
I didn't particularly like this translation and honestly? wasn't in love with the story. Maybe it was just the translation, but this is the second translation I've tried and I still don't see what's so great about the content itself. I'm going to try Fagles eventually and see if I like that one better.
...more
Nov 12, 2011
Erika
marked it as to-re-read
Jan 02, 2013
Kristyn
marked it as will-finish-eventually
Jun 10, 2013
Casey
marked it as to-read-owned
Jan 04, 2016
Sidney
added it
Jul 26, 2018
Don Hackett
is currently reading it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
stopped-reading
Jul 01, 2020
Adam
added it
