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I've read The Odyssey before, but I've never reviewed an edition. This one was sitting on my shelf, so I went ahead with it. The Fagles translation is probably one of the most accessible and familiar anyways, so it seemed like a fine place to go.
I can't speak to the accuracy of Fagles's work - I don't read ancient Greek. But while I can't evaluate the quality of the translation, i do think that the Fagles English rendering flows nicely and is easy to read. I appreciated the attempt to showcase some of the formulae inherent in Greek epic, and some of the English idioms give the prose a kind of sense that I hope is original to the Greek.
As for the epic itself, I don't have much to say except that it's a classic for a reason. I love Odysseus's wild adventures, the meddling of the gods, the truly bizarre beasts and creatures, and the sense of justice that comes with ridding Ithica of the suitors. I also love that this tale is about Odysseus's hubris and his suffering, how fortune can change swiftly and how longing for one's home and family can be a powerful force.
The Penguin deluxe edition (which I read) provided excellent material for readers who might need a little help. There's a series of maps as well as a pronunciation guide, and there's a robust introduction by Bernard Knox that lays out the epic's history as well as its legacy.
Overall, I don't think you can go wrong with the Fagles edition, especially if you're a casual reader. If you want to make a study of Homer, you'll probably need to consult multiple translations. But for me who was just looking for a little fun, this edition was easy to use and accessible.
TL:DR: The Odyssey is a classic for a reason and the Deluxe Penguin Edition offers an accessible translation with good supplementary materials.
I can't speak to the accuracy of Fagles's work - I don't read ancient Greek. But while I can't evaluate the quality of the translation, i do think that the Fagles English rendering flows nicely and is easy to read. I appreciated the attempt to showcase some of the formulae inherent in Greek epic, and some of the English idioms give the prose a kind of sense that I hope is original to the Greek.
As for the epic itself, I don't have much to say except that it's a classic for a reason. I love Odysseus's wild adventures, the meddling of the gods, the truly bizarre beasts and creatures, and the sense of justice that comes with ridding Ithica of the suitors. I also love that this tale is about Odysseus's hubris and his suffering, how fortune can change swiftly and how longing for one's home and family can be a powerful force.
The Penguin deluxe edition (which I read) provided excellent material for readers who might need a little help. There's a series of maps as well as a pronunciation guide, and there's a robust introduction by Bernard Knox that lays out the epic's history as well as its legacy.
Overall, I don't think you can go wrong with the Fagles edition, especially if you're a casual reader. If you want to make a study of Homer, you'll probably need to consult multiple translations. But for me who was just looking for a little fun, this edition was easy to use and accessible.
TL:DR: The Odyssey is a classic for a reason and the Deluxe Penguin Edition offers an accessible translation with good supplementary materials.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Blood
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Odyssey is one of the oldest surviving works of literature. Themes and tropes in this story still being used in modern fiction. Like all those stories stories, I was immediately hooked.
One of the main themes of The Odyssey is homecoming. We see mentions of how others were received upon their arrival. Hearing of how Agamemnon was received, Odysseus disguised himself so the suitors wouldn’t kill him immediately. He used the opportunity to see how things were in his abilities, and who was loyal to him. Vengeance is also an important theme. We hear of how Orestes avenged his father by killing his father’s murderers. Telemachus is urged to follow a similar path to his. He doesn’t need much convincing judging by how much he despises the men courting his mother.
Odysseus is one of my favorite characters from Greek mythology. You find yourself rooting for him, but you also get frustrated by his decisions. He’s cunning enough to get himself out of bad situations, but he’s not wise enough to know how to prevent them. Odysseus wants many things: he wants to go home, he wants to let everyone know it was him that maimed a cyclops, he wants the knowledge the sirens promised him, etc. Odysseus is not a good man, but that’s what makes him interesting. You can see the pain he went through all those years as karma for sacking Troy. Most of the Achaeans either faced obstacles on their way home, were killed, or received a terrible homecoming.
Telemachus was filled with so much resentment towards the suitors. He holds loyalty to the father he never met and feels outraged at seeing all these men wasting his father’s wealth. He longs to expel them from his home, especially since he has come of age recently.
Penelope is just as cunning as Odysseus. She would not marry another, but she couldn’t make her suitors leave. She managed to keep them at bay since they began courting her. It wasn’t until one of her women told the suitors and Penelope was forced to finish the shroud. After years of charlatans telling her false stories about Odysseus, she is wary in believing any rumors about him. She tests Odysseus when he claims to be her husband by telling him to move their marriage bed, which is rooted to an olive tree. Penelope represents the loyal, loving wife, a complete contrast to Clytemnestra.
My biggest gripe was how slavery was handled here. Most of the servants in Odysseus and Penelope’s household are actually slaves. Melantho was berated for being disloyal to Penelope. There were times I pitied her.
I found The Odyssey to be a much easier read than the Iliad. Robert Fagles’ translation was just as immersive as his translation of The Iliad.
One of the main themes of The Odyssey is homecoming. We see mentions of how others were received upon their arrival. Hearing of how Agamemnon was received, Odysseus disguised himself so the suitors wouldn’t kill him immediately. He used the opportunity to see how things were in his abilities, and who was loyal to him. Vengeance is also an important theme. We hear of how Orestes avenged his father by killing his father’s murderers. Telemachus is urged to follow a similar path to his. He doesn’t need much convincing judging by how much he despises the men courting his mother.
Odysseus is one of my favorite characters from Greek mythology. You find yourself rooting for him, but you also get frustrated by his decisions. He’s cunning enough to get himself out of bad situations, but he’s not wise enough to know how to prevent them. Odysseus wants many things: he wants to go home, he wants to let everyone know it was him that maimed a cyclops, he wants the knowledge the sirens promised him, etc. Odysseus is not a good man, but that’s what makes him interesting. You can see the pain he went through all those years as karma for sacking Troy. Most of the Achaeans either faced obstacles on their way home, were killed, or received a terrible homecoming.
Telemachus was filled with so much resentment towards the suitors. He holds loyalty to the father he never met and feels outraged at seeing all these men wasting his father’s wealth. He longs to expel them from his home, especially since he has come of age recently.
Penelope is just as cunning as Odysseus. She would not marry another, but she couldn’t make her suitors leave. She managed to keep them at bay since they began courting her. It wasn’t until one of her women told the suitors and Penelope was forced to finish the shroud. After years of charlatans telling her false stories about Odysseus, she is wary in believing any rumors about him. She tests Odysseus when he claims to be her husband by telling him to move their marriage bed, which is rooted to an olive tree. Penelope represents the loyal, loving wife, a complete contrast to Clytemnestra.
My biggest gripe was how slavery was handled here. Most of the servants in Odysseus and Penelope’s household are actually slaves. Melantho was berated for being disloyal to Penelope. There were times I pitied her.
I found The Odyssey to be a much easier read than the Iliad. Robert Fagles’ translation was just as immersive as his translation of The Iliad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Rape, Slavery, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Reading Robert Fagles’ translation of The Odyssey was both easy and enjoyable. I especially loved experiencing it with my book club—we explored the culture, the characters, and learned so much more about the people and the hero at the heart of the story. There’s a lot of foreshadowing, which made the story even more engaging as events slowly unfolded.
Odysseus is such a complex character. You kind of hate him at times, yet still find yourself rooting for him. It’s incredibly frustrating how often he withholds information from his crew, especially when the gods have clearly gave him warnings of things not to do for him and his crew. It leads to so much unnecessary tragedy.
The ending was satisfying—there’s justice, closure, and he’s finally reunited with his wife. But the moment with his dog, Argos... that scene broke my heart. I actually cried. This story made me feel so many things—anger, grief, and hope. Overall, The Odyssey was a powerful and emotional journey.
Odysseus is such a complex character. You kind of hate him at times, yet still find yourself rooting for him. It’s incredibly frustrating how often he withholds information from his crew, especially when the gods have clearly gave him warnings of things not to do for him and his crew. It leads to so much unnecessary tragedy.
The ending was satisfying—there’s justice, closure, and he’s finally reunited with his wife. But the moment with his dog, Argos... that scene broke my heart. I actually cried. This story made me feel so many things—anger, grief, and hope. Overall, The Odyssey was a powerful and emotional journey.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, War
This is for the Emily Wilson translation which is excellent - unflowery, propulsive and vivid.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Slavery, Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Better than the Iliad by far
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is the only translation of the Odyssey I’ve read so I can’t compare to others. Though the translation is by a woman and widely thought of as one of the most accurate and least biased translations of the text, it is not, as some have called it, a feminist version of the Odyssey. Ultimately the original text is of its time and written by a man/men so comes with the perspective of that.
Plot-wise, I grew quite tired of ‘skilful liar Odysseus’ bullshit, frankly. Continually being an aggressor when not needed, ‘testing’ his family and slaves loyalty after 20 years presumed dead, killing the slave women for their fault in being raped by the suitors etc etc. he sounds like a real prick who only survived because Athena took an interest, and Gods knows why.
Plot-wise, I grew quite tired of ‘skilful liar Odysseus’ bullshit, frankly. Continually being an aggressor when not needed, ‘testing’ his family and slaves loyalty after 20 years presumed dead, killing the slave women for their fault in being raped by the suitors etc etc. he sounds like a real prick who only survived because Athena took an interest, and Gods knows why.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder
Moderate: Rape, Abandonment
Minor: War
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Emily Wilson’s new translation of ‘The Odyssey’ by Homer uses plain language and straightforward sentences to make the epic poem accessible to all readers. The translation is fluid and easy to follow. Not once did I get a whiff of imposter syndrome or feel like the book was ‘not for someone like me’—a feeling I’ve certainly had when reading other, more elevated translations. However, sometimes the choice of word or phrase does feel a little anachronistic.
At the beginning of the book, Wilson explains her approach to the translation and also introduces the text. Both are informative, and not only give context to the text and this version of the translation, but also provide a jumping off point for further reading about Homer and The Odyssey. The notes at the end are helpful, too. Each book is summarised and notes are given to explain certain lines.
Overall, this is an enjoyable and enlightening read, and it proves that epic poems like ‘The Odyssey’ aren’t only for those who have studied Literature or Classics, but are something that can be appreciated by everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Emily Wilson’s translation is probably my favorite of the few editions of the Odyssey that I’ve read. She makes the familiar story fresh and accessible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An enriching classic story with a very interesting protagonist, although the prose (at least the translation I read) and plot tended to drag at points
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, War
Minor: Rape
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
had to read a bit for school- I WILL READ THE REST BECAUSE CIRCE ABD PENELOPE ARE BY BAES
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood