An Epic Masterpiece!
The Odyssey is one of my favorite classics and it is one of my favorite units to teach. Odysseus' journey is aided and hindered by the gods and goddesses, and it is interesting to see how they work for and against him in order for him to return home. I cannot imagine being away from home for twenty years (ten at the Trojan war, seven with Calypso, and three "lost at sea" w/ various adventures).
The themes of identity, relationship, xenia, and appetite are all important to Odysseus' journey. I feel for his humanity and his desire to return home to his wife, son, and to reclaim his kingdom. My favorite part was when Nausikaa "rescued" Odyssey when he lands of the island of the Phaiakians after his tumultous battle with the sea. Again, another "must read" and a classic that should not be avoided!
High Art without the Rhyme
This epic works on so many levels because the source material's brilliant and Robert Fagles conveys the story with a mellifluous and engaging punch. If you first met this text as a kid through a Saturday afternoon broadcast of Nathan Juran's The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (50th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray], as I did, and only later learned about the tie-in to Homer's Odyssey, you probably thought the Odyssey was a hoary adventure tale and little more. However, that's not the case.
In fact the Odyssey brings storytelling to a high artistic level, wherein stories themselves are dramatically meaningful because Odysseus's recounting of them is the way he'll break the ice in life-and-death situations. In this cornerstone of classic poetry, we feel the hero's struggles as he swims the raging seas of the ancient world, charms kingdoms for safe passage and ultimately raises his sword against those who'd trample his clan and honor.
The story's glorious and heartrending. My only gripe with this edition is Fagles's anti-formalist position. Putting this story together in dactylic hexameter was a colossal achievement for the artist we call Homer, who after all probably created the original version without the benefit of writing. As such, this effort to vernacularize Homer, although successful, left me wishing for a vehicle that better evoked the music.
My Titles
Shadow Fields
Snooker Glen
Dasha
Faithful Rendition
The Odyssey / 0-14-026886-3
I'm not going to lie and say that I pull this (or it's companion, The Illiad) out every other weekend for light reading, but if you're going to have a copy of The Odyssey on hand, this is a good one to add to the library. The translation is good, and is very poetic yet easy enough to read, considering the source material. The verse form has been maintained and reminds the reader that this was originally a verse, and not a prose narrative. The binding is tight and attractive, with thick sturdy pages, and with "ruffled" unfinished edges, giving the book an older feel, and making pages easier to grip and turn. I recommend this version, if you're considering buying The Odyssey for your library.
DON'T buy into the Fagles "hype"!
Although I respect Fagles as a modern translator, I cannot recommend his translations of Homer...I would probably only recommend his translations of Sophocles's 3 Theban Plays.
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey don't sound like Epics anymore under Fagles...they are turned into mild nice sounding children stories! He tones down Homer to the point that I feel that Fagels wants his personality to shine NOT Homer's! I am gravely disappointed by this.
I also find that he not only forces beauty into the text but adds too much of his personal warmth that gets in the way of the texts and creates a vision of Homer's epics that is truly unsound to the original.
Not only that but the font and design of the print is an eye sore, I don't like the choice the publishers and Fagles gave to the works. It doesn't make for easy reading...
Stanley Lombardo's translations are unparalleled in their print layout, design and font...not to say vivid and powerful evocative translation.
I continue to find Richmond Lattimore's facinating translations the most accurate to how the Ancient Greek language sounds to English ears. I would buy Lattimore over Fagles (and Fitzgerald).
And I still think Rieu's famous Prose version from 1946 is hard to beat for it's modernity and readibility.
...Find out for yourself by comparing a few versions but don't be duped into this mysterious "Fagles hype"!
Good, but not the best...
I find the new translation by Ian Johnston to be vastly superior to that of Fagles. It is clear, direct and presented in a more modern English style while still remaining true to the Greek original. It is increasingly being used by high schools and universities and makes a great addition to any library. I highly recomment Mr. Johnston's translations for any lover of Greek (and other) classics.
