Odyssey

Description:

Homer's great epic of a hero's journey home--inspiration for the major motion picture by Christopher Nolan--in a bold, contemporary, and refreshingly readable translation.

"Wilson's language is fresh, unpretentious and lean. . . . It is rare to find a translation that is at once so effortlessly easy to read and so rigorously considered." --Madeline Miller, author of Circe

Brief description: HOMER's identity is shrouded in mystery. Most scholars agree that an epic poet named Homer likely existed anywhere between 900 to 700 B.C.E. Legend, originating in antiquity, says that Homer was a blind bard from Ionia, but no account of Homer's life can be verified. The Iliad and The Odyssey, the two epic poems attributed to Homer, which take place during the Trojan War and its aftermath, were derived from the oral storytelling tradition. Their method of composition--either by a single author or several bards working in tandem--remains unknown. The Homeric Poems are among the most significant narratives in the Greek and Western literary canon.

Review Quotes: Having a female scholar and translator look with fresh eyes upon one of the foundational myths of Western civilization is nothing short of revolutionary. Emily Wilson's riveting translation of The Odyssey ripples with excitement and new meaning. This important and timely addition to our understanding of Homer will be enjoyed for generations to come.--Aline Ohanesian, author of Orhan's Inheritance