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The Odyssey
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The Odyssey
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The Odyssey
Audiobook13 hours

The Odyssey

Written by Homer

Narrated by Ian McKellen

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

The Odyssey is literature's grandest evocation of every man's journey through life. In the myths and legends that are retold here, the energy and poetry of Homer's original is captured in a bold, contemporary idiom, giving us an edition of The Odyssey that is a joy to listen to, worth savoring treasuring for its sheer lyrical mastery. This audiobook is sure to delight both the classicist and the general reader, and to captivate a new generation of Homer's students.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateNov 29, 2005
ISBN9780786564781
Author

Homer

Although recognized as one of the greatest ancient Greek poets, the life and figure of Homer remains shrouded in mystery. Credited with the authorship of the epic poems Iliad and Odyssey, Homer, if he existed, is believed to have lived during the ninth century BC, and has been identified variously as a Babylonian, an Ithacan, or an Ionian. Regardless of his citizenship, Homer’s poems and speeches played a key role in shaping Greek culture, and Homeric studies remains one of the oldest continuous areas of scholarship, reaching from antiquity through to modern times.

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Reviews for The Odyssey

Rating: 4.394495412844036 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

109 ratings139 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I had attempted to read The Odyssey once before and failed miserably. Since then I've learned just how important the translator is when choosing to read ancient classics. I'm happy that I found a different translation to try which made this a much more enjoyable and engaging read. Given that the story comes from a time of oral tradition I decided to try out the audio book, which I think was the right idea but the wrong narrator for me. More on that below.For anyone who doesn't know, The Odyssey was written by Homer somewhere around 800 BC. The epic poem relates the story of Odysseus and his trials on his return journey home after the Trojan war. For such a simple premise, the scope is vast. It has a little bit of everything (magic, monsters, gods, suitors, shipwrecks, action) and touches on so many themes (violence and the aftermath of war, poverty, wealth, marriage and family, betrayal, yearning for ones home, hospitality) that is is easy to see why this poem is so important and how it has inspired many stories to this day. One of the best and worst parts about this version was the introduction to the poem. The intro goes into great detail about the controversies about the poem's origins and dives deeply into the poem's many themes. This was great for someone who already knows the story and wants to learn more before getting into Odysseus's tale. For those that don't like spoilers, it's best if you skip the introduction and read/listen to it after you're done with the poem. Fair warning for audio book listeners - the introduction is roughly 3.5 hours long and I was definitely getting impatient to hear the poem long before it was done.I listened to the audio book narrated by Claire Danes. This has really driven home that I need to listen to a sample of the narrator before choosing my audio books. Claire does an adequate job when reading the descriptive paragraphs but just didn't work for me when it came to dialog. All her characters, male and female, sounded the same and were a bit over done so it was a challenge to keep who was speaking apart. She is going on my avoid list for future audio books.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was a book I decided to tackle with audiobook and I thought it came across better listening to a narrator. Will give the Iliad go to.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Very enjoyable. I also loved listening on a Playaway, because, as my friends know, being able to read a book and knit, or fold clothes, or sew, or work in the yard is just bliss.If you haven't read this since high school or college, give it a whirl. It's worth the time. I think listening would be much easier given the style.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a glorious story and a thoroughly enjoyable translation. My only quibble with the translation is using the term 'Greeks' instead of Hellenes (as the 'Greeks' called themselves) since in all otherand sometimes very compex names she kept to the original, e.g. Odysseus instead of Ulysses. Have to say that the final page was a bit disappointing, the story just ended quite abruptly without the intensity and build up of the other adventures. That aside, this 3000 + year old story was superb on so many levels, beautiful poetic language and description, an exciting adventure story, iconic moments like with Odysseus' dog, insights into very ancient societies' mores and values --thoroughly misogynistic by the way. From the various inconsistencies and differences in style -- like the final scene -- I think it is pretty obvious that there was not just one narrator (Homer), but various retellings in the oral tradition. Actually, while I ostensibly 'read' this book, I was more or less 'hearing' the story, reading the poetry slowly and aloud in my head. This book was a great experience.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I won't say too much about the actual story. Everyone already knows that stuff from freshman English and general knowledge of myths and literary tropes. It has monsters and heroes and true love and coming of age and an awesome scene with a trick arrow shot and 3 guys against the world. Give it a try if you haven't looked at it since you were 15.

    I'm not sure I had ever read the whole Odyssey before. In any case, I now have heard the whole thing performed by Ian McKellen. I suppose Homer on audio book is about as close as I'll get to the original, unless someone can point me to someone who does the audio book in ancient Greek... McKellen's narration was great, but I bought the book to listen to while driving, and it put me to sleep. The story was really quite exciting, even if it did drag on a little when Odysseus was planning his suitor revenge. I guess we skipped that part in 9th grade English. But Gandalf's voice seemed to be more suited for bedtime stories than distracting me from traffic jams. I know what I'll be listening to when I can't get to sleep though.

    The translation, by Robert Fagles, was excellent. There were some places where I was like "that seems really colloquial" but then I was glad because it really was easy to understand. I would use this translation if I ever needed to read Homer for some reason.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A soldier returns home ten years later than expected.2.5/4 (Okay).There are some really good parts near the end. Most of the book is tedious.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Emily Wilson clearly demonstrates that translation of a classic can stand on its own as a work of art. It falls for me how an Ansel Adams photograph of a landscape stands on its own as a work of art. The readability makes the story follow along and seem lively even as far you know not only the outcome but the details. One measure of a classic is the pleasure found in revisiting it. That is certainly true with this engaging transition.Many questions are asked and addressed in the Odyssey: 1) can a warrior return home after war; 2) will it be the same home and will be be accepted as the same person; 3) how should the warrior shoulder the experiences of war and the challenges of returning home; 4) how does the warrior introduce the person he has become to his home? Each reader will have their own version of these questions and more and the answers will be kaleidoscopic which is what makes the reading and re reading interesting. Wilson's translation is a great one for a modern reader to be introduced to the Odyssey. The today at the end as to the depth and helps the reader to keep their feet.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This very accessible translation definitely stands up to the hype. My perpetual secondary interest in the Odyssey has been as a skeleton key to Joyce's Ulysses. In this respect the episodic correspondences are crystal clear. Homer's time warping between comic book action sequences and epic scale events are preserved. Doesnt shy from foregrounding slavery for what it was and underscores the question of how many should suffer/die for one great man's return home.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have only ever read a junior version of The Odyssey (in fourth grade) but am familiar with the story and the characters. I was inspired to read it now after finishing Madeline Miller's Circe. This version of the story is told in paragraphs, not verses, which probably worked better for me. The language is still in convoluted form and I had to pay close attention and reread some sentences to get them straight.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey is my third; I read Robert Fagles' and Stanley Lombardo's before this. You can't go wrong with any of them - Fagles' is lyrical but modern, Lombardo's is admirably plain-speaking and fast-paced, and Wilson's is swift, smart and exciting. But Wilson's is my favorite now, and the one I'd recommend to someone dipping in for the first time.Caroline convinced me to read Wilson's introduction, and I'm glad I did. It's a corker. She explains The Odyssey this way:"We encounter a surprising range of different characters and types of incident: giants and beggars, arrogant young men and vulnerable old slaves, a princess who does laundry and a dead warrior who misses the sunshine, gods, goddesses, and ghosts, brave deeds, love affairs, spells, dreams, songs, and stories. Odysseus himself seems to contain multitudes: he is a migrant, a pirate, a carpenter, a king, an athlete, a beggar, a husband, a lover, a father, a son, a fighter, a liar, a leader, and a thief. He is a man who cries, takes naps, and feels homesick, but he is also a man who has a special relationship with the goddess who transforms his appearance at will and ensures that his schemes succeed."As she says, this isn't the usual hero who saves the world or "at least changes it in some momentous way"; instead, "for this hero, mere survival is the most amazing feat of all". The story raises"important questions about the moral qualities of this liar, pirate, colonizer, deceiver, and thief, who is so often in disguise, absent or napping, while other people - those he owns, those he leads- suffer and die, and who directly kills so many people."This complexity is what continues to fascinate me, and has led me through three translations and re-reads.What is so outstanding about this translation?"The Odyssey is a poem, and it needs to have a predictable and distinctive rhythm that can be easily heard when the text is read out loud. The original is in six-footed lines (dactylic hexameters), the conventional meter for archaic Greek narrative verse. I used iambic pentameter, because it is the conventional meter for regular English narrative verse - the rhythm of Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Byron, Keats, and plenty of more recent anglophone poets . . . my translation sings to its own regular and distinctive beat.My version is the same length as the original, with exactly the same number of lines. I chose to write within this difficult constraint because any translation without such limitations will tend to be longer than the original, and I wanted a narrative pace that could match its stride and Homer's nimble gallop."I can't speak to the original, but hers certainly has stride and nimble gallop. She also leans toward simplicity of language, "in a style that echoes the rhythms and phrasing of contemporary anglophone speech." She notes that "stylistic pomposity is entirely un-Homeric". Occasionally (rarely, really) this results in what to me is an odd word choice, e.g. carrying weapons in a "hamper" - really? But overall it succeeds beautifully.Some examples:At a light touch of whip, the horses flew,Swiftly they drew toward their journeys' end,on through fields of wheat, until the sunbegan to set and shadows filled the streets.Helen, on the events in Troy:The Trojan women keened in grief, but Iwas glad - by then I wanted to go home.I wished that Aphrodite had not made mego crazy, when she took me from my country,and made me leave my daughter and the bedI shared with my fine, handsome, clever husband.Circe confronting Odysseus:"Who are you?Where is your city? And who are your parents?I am amazed that you could drink my potionand yet not be bewitched. No other manhas drunk it and withstood the magic charm.But you are different. Your mind is notenchanted. You must be Odysseus,the man who can adapt to anything."Odysseus and Athena are natural partners. As she says,"To outwit youin all your tricks, a person or a godwould need to be an expert at deceit.You clever rascal! So duplicitous,so talented at lying! You love fictionand tricks so deeply, you refuse to stopeven in your own land. Yes, both of usare smart. No man can plan and talk like you,and I am known among the gods for insightand craftiness."He is such a liar! And it's so deeply engrained that he lies even when he doesn't need to. But his lies always carry a greater message: "His lies were like the truth/ and as she listened, she began to weep."If you haven't read The Odyssey before, you probably know the basics of the story by osmosis. But that's nothing like experiencing this ancient yet so modern story. Emily Wilson has brought an intelligence, rhythm and excitement to it that to me is the best yet. Have some fun reading an old classic; it's a treat.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    {Review of E.V. Rieu's prose translation, Penguin Classics} Reading a prose version of The Odyssey is like having your learned friend read the poem silently to himself and occasionally pausing to explain to you what's going on. This is a very thorough translation of the action, but you won't grasp why Homer is called a master bard or find his genius. For all the translator's efforts this reads almost like a comic book version minus the pictures. That makes it simple to breeze through and there's no question you'll know the whole story by the end, but you'll not have been swept up by it as you would if you've any ear for poetry. Where reading the Iliad felt like rehashing a story I already knew, it was a different experience with The Odyssey. My knowledge of this one was more episodic, and getting the full story has finally sewn it together. While I'd recommend reading a poetic version if you can, the translator's introduction points out that The Odyssey can be likened to a novel and this is ably supported by its prose rendition. Techniques we view as modern can be found here in work that's 3,000 years old: different points of view, timeline jumps, foreshadowing etc. that could trick me into believing it's much more recent. I only regret the disproportionate page count once he gets to Ithaca, which I didn't find nearly as engaging as what came before. It's still easy to prefer this to the Iliad, but reading that first lends this one extra weight. It's the ending we didn't get, and this time it satisfies.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Over the last fifty years I've read four translations of 'The Odyssey': E V Rieu (Penguin Classics), Butcher & Lang (used and parodied by Joyce in 'Ulysses'; despised by Pound), T E Lawrence (critics are a bit sniffy, but I enjoyed it) and finally the only verse translation I've read, the other three are prose, by the American poet Robert Fagles (pronounced as in bagel). I was further delighted to find when listening to Adam Nicolson's book, 'The mighty dead: why Homer matters' (2014) that Fagles is his choice of an exemplary modern translation.Of course it could be growing familiarity with the tale over three quarters of my life that enhances the jouissance of re-reading, but Fagles is now my choice - every evening I looked forward to picking up the book. His use of verse enhances the emotion and action of the tale. You have to pay attention otherwise you may lose who is speaking or the thread of the tale's subtle structures of back story and/or current action, oftentimes twined. I was pleased when re-reading Robin Knox's introduction to find that some passages I'd enjoyed for their impact were highlighted by him, but also noted, to my chagrin, that I'd missed some as well - how could I have missed this and this? Of course that's the pleasure of the text - with each reading you find something new. This text repays close attention, at times difficult because the action urges the reader on - so I'll be going back for more - this really is a book to live with.The edition is enhanced with Robin Knox's introduction, as mentioned, maps, translation notes, genealogies, textual variants, suggestions for further reading and a pronunciation glossary - all very useful.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A must read
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What else could you select while sailing the Med if not a previous voyage across a similar sea? I thought this was going to be a hard read, but it really wasn't. In part, I think, that is because there is a part of knowing the outline of the story and it's elements already. It is such a well known story that you can't really come it it without knowing something of it already. It's not told in real time, that is reserved for Odysseus' son, Telemachus' journey to try and find news of his father and his dealings with his mother's suitors. The tale of Odysseus' journey back form the Trojan wars is told in order, but in retrospect. It's an interesting way of combining the two strands of the tale, the traveller and those left behind. The impact the traveller's absence has on those left behind is well illustrated, and how things are difficult for both sides in that instance - it's not just the traveller that has to endure trials. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    My first foray into ancient Greek myth and I loved it. This translation is very accessible and immersed me into Odysseus' journey of trials and tribulations. Loved it!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I humbly declare this book to be the greatest literary work of mankind. If you don't learn Greek (worth it just to read this Meisterwerk, never mind the rest of the immortal trove of Greek literature) you can read it in so many translations that have become classics in their own use of the English language, Fagles and Murray, just to mention two. Oh, what the Hades, let's throw in a third, not just for its brilliant translation, but also owing to the exotic character behind it: no less than Lawrence of Arabia. The Homeric poems were sung in a less-enlightened time, in comparison with the later Greek tragedies, and with the later epics too. Apollonius' Argonautica was composed, post Greek Tragedy, and his audience would have been, no doubt, familiar with Euripides' Medea. Questions such as how justice and revenge affect societies were addressed by Aeschylus in the Oresteia; likewise, the reception of the anthropomorphic gods, and their pettiness, was raised by Euripides in Hippolytus and the Bacchae. Furthermore, the real nature and brutality of warfare was also raised in the Trojan Women. Throw in how one state views another state, and questions of racial identity, and you have The Persians by Aeschylus, and Medea by Euripides. Additionally, if you include Philoctetes by Sophocles, and the issue of how youth should conduct themselves is also raised. If you consider, too, Ajax by Sophocles, and you find that the bloodthirsty myths of an earlier age are filtered through questions that C5 Athenian society faced. What is better, the brute force of an unsophisticated Ajax, or the sophistry and rhetorical arguments of Odysseus in Ajax? By the time we arrive at Virgil, and The Aenied, brutal events such as the death of Priam by Neoptolemus in Aeneid Book II, are tempered with a more enlightened approach. Neoptolemus is condemned for killing Priam, and rightly so, as mercy is important, and exemplifies the Romanitas of 'Sparing the humble, and conquering the proud'. However, Aeneas doesn't show mercy in his killing of Turnus at the end of Book XII. If you're into Greek Literature, read the rest of this review on my blog.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I read The Iliad in Richmond Lattimore's translation and far preferred his style to that of Fagles. So while I found this sufficient to enable me to read the entire work at last, it did not move me as the first work did.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This translation is a must read for anyone interested in literature, classics, or history. The pace of the story is amazing with action and adventure mixed in with society and home life.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It’s narrated by Ian McKellen (aka Gandalf, aka Magneto) so that makes it awesome. I mean, he really gets into it. Great stuff.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Opmerkelijke, niet-chronologische structuur. Ook minder tragedisch-hero?sch dan Ilias, meer accent op waarden trouw, vriendeschap. Verschuiving tav Ilias: mensheld speelt hier de hoofdrol; Odysseus doorspartelt alle gevaren dankzij zijn formidabele karakter (groot hart, eerlijk maar ook vurig en wreedaardig), een man voor alle tijden; doorslaggevend: hij gelooft in eigen kunnen. Ook intelligent-listig (soms web van leugens), daarom in de Oudheid eerder als negatieve figuur gezien (corrupt en leugenachtig), pas met Renaissance gerehabiliteerd.Maar Odysseus is wel de enige onbesproken held, alle anderen (inclusief Telemachos en Penelope) worden in een dubieus daglicht gesteld. Tav Ilias komen vrouwen meer op voorgrond (maar niet altijd positief).Geen mythe, maar wel heldenverhaal, epos. De hoofdlijn is grondig vermengd met andere verhalen (dat van de cycloop is bij andere volkeren in 125 versies te vinden). Het centraal thema is de queeste, de zoektocht naar wat verloren is gegaan (vergelijking met Gilgamesj mogelijk: bezoek aan onderwereld, nihilistische visie op dood).
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An epic tale of Odysseus as he makes he journey back home from the Trojan war. Lost at sea for 6 years trying to get home to his wife, he encounters many obstacles such as sirens, cyclopes, and sea creatures! This tale, has plenty of room for interpretation and meaning behind it which would make for a great book to share in a middle to high school class room. Not only is it entertaining but it give a slight historical account of the Trojan war. The students will be able to take an abundance of knowledge such as moral and ethical dilemmas as well as recognizing personal growth. I remember reading this book in middle school and I would recommend it to anyone who has the desire for adventure and the open mindedness and the willingness to learn that needs to be present during the story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love this book. Lattimore's grasp is huge and the story is immortal (of course). One of the primordial epic stories in which we interact with the gods. The most rosy-fingered story ever told in its *best* translation. The story has everything -- including lots of sex. "It is hateful to me to tell a story over again, when I has been well told." After reading it in starts and fits, over the course of many years, it is finally finished -- "let the rest be hidden in silence."
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    How much I enjoy this book: I just re-read it for the third time, this time in preparation for Joyce's Ulysses and Burroughs's Naked Lunch (Arnold Weinstein from Brown University says Burroughs was heavily influenced by the Odyssey).

    There are several reasons the Odyssey is still good after almost three thousand years--among many, the structure pulls you in, the plot keeps you interested, Ulysses, Telemachus, and Penelope go through interesting and realistic changes. It's a wonderfully well-told story.

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Well, it seems a bit odd to be reviewing The Odyssey after all these centuries, but of course it's a great story. The new translation is excellent, very accessible and easy to read, although some of the colloquialisms did seem a bit odd in the context (I guess it's the balance between seeming realistic and being easy to read). The Appendices containing the stories of the dead in Hades were great, poetic as well as easy to read, and reminded me a bit of Alice Oswald's Memorial. I might even try rereading the Iliad with this new translation, as I found it a bit hard going the last time I read it (an older translation).
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I read this book as an assignment in school so ... it's was not necessary my like or my choice, but I think it was a goodread ( :) ), isn't it a classic after all? I get confused between the Illiad and the Odyssey - that's how concentrated I was but I have always thought and made a mental note to read it later in my life. It is later in my life now ... mmm
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Not for the faint of heart. But well worth the read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I'd read this translation before, as part of a college history course. I'd forgotten how tough it was to read; this particular translation doesn't seem to flow well for me. But the story is fantastic (How I Made it Home From the War), and it's really enjoyable in that aspect.

    If anybody would like to recommend another translation, have at it! This particular one was at the library, so I grabbed it when I had the chance.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The 4 & 1/2 star rating in this case is only for the 2005 Penguin Audio audiobook edition of Robert Fagles' 1996 translation of Homer's The Odyssey. This is not a reflection on Fagles' translation or Ian McKellen's narration which are both 5 stars. The lower rating is only due to a few chapter/verse timing issues and the occasional distraction due to the ambience of different recording sessions combined into one audiobook. The recording is from the pre-digital download era and the audio chapters are based on approximate 30 minute timings (1 side of a cassette tape?), regardless of the actual Homeric verses. So the 24 Chapter starts are only occasionally equal to the beginnings of the 24 Verses of the Odyssey. This may or may not be a distraction for some. It is probably not a major issue if you are following along with a print edition.One segment, Chapters 9 to 12 in the audiobook, middle of Verse 10 to the end of Verse 12 in Homer, has a significant audio issue. The speed of McKellen's reading drops to a deep bass voice at a seemingly slowed down audiospeed, as if the tape slowed down or McKellen was suffering from a serious cold on the day of the recording. This is enormously distracting when compared to the sound of the voice before and after this segment. Again, this is not a deal breaker but listeners should at least be forewarned of this fault.The audiobook also excludes Bernard Knox's introduction that is available in the Penguin print edition.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5


    I never was a reader of classic in fact I had to read the cliff notes version before attempting one. Last year's reading through all those Jane Austen was a pain but weirdly enough this classics is really good. Initially I thought The Odyssey would be hard on me and I was right when I begin the reading with Samuel Butler's translation. I tried using Librivox's audiobook to keep me going but its confusing me since Pallas Athena became Minerva, Zeus became Jove and Odysseus became Ulysses, I end up being so disinterest with the descriptiveness that I turn to Fagles. Fagles saved me.

    There's a huge differences between Fagles (1996), Butler's (1922) and Rieu's (1946) translations. I read through nearly half of Butler's, quarter of Rieu's and all of the Fagles and to be honest, if you saw Fagles version. Get them.

    One of the reason that Fagles is most preferred is that when a professor recommend it, you get it. Other than that, Fagles is said to be closest to the poetic form from the original Ancient Greek and even I notice the poetic elements in the words rather than the excessive descriptive paragraphs of the same thing with Rieu and Butler's. Both translated Odyssey in novel style and most of the free source "The Odyssey" translation came from Butler, it made absolute sense why some people have differences in opinions on this epic.

    Before I began, I actually read this book with the help of Ian McKellan's narration. I know I have been an anti-audiobook thing but I'm not being hypocrite, in fact I was still struggling with the audiobooks but I was absolutely fine with poems (and The Odyssey actually is a series of rhapsodies) since these things are not meant to be read. Its mean to be said out loud and for me, this is quite an exception. But I still have problems concentrating with the listening part because I often fall asleep or space out so thats why I read and listen at the same time.

    With Ian McKellan's (aka Gandalf or Magneto if you don't know who that was) theatric experience, he effectively brought the classic into deathless dramatic epicness. Experiencing "The Odyssey" is nothing if you haven't listen to it being told by a bard who is ironically is who Ian McKellan is and listening to Sir Ian McKellan breathing the soul of Homer into Odyssey is possibly near orgasmic thing that I've ever had to listen to.

    The Odyssey began with a prayer to the Muse as the narrator started giving a short summary of the story. It's mostly centered around the events surrounding the missing hero, Odysseus, King of Ithaca. 20 years since Odysseus went to Troy to fight the war for Helen of Argos (not Helen of Troy!), the hero never went home and everyone including his wife and son accepted that he's died. Years earlier prior to the even in the first book, hundreds of men came to Ithaca to court the King's widow, Queen Penelope as it seems to be a custom for a beautiful young widow to remarry after the death of their husband. But Penelope managed to avoid the remarriage by prolonging the courtship which ends with the suitors overstaying Penelope's palace for years and spend all of the palace's resources on their feasting.

    In the first book, Athena became distraught over the plight of the great hero who is stuck in limbo and the fate of Odysseus's wife and son with their guests terrorizing their home. After she begged Zeus to command Calypso to let Odysseus go from her sensual snare, she disguised herself as Mentes, an old friend of Odysseus, to nudge the young prince to take action against the suitor's menace. With the guidance by the goddess, Telemachus finally set off to the seas to search for real news from his father. Meanwhile, Odysseus escaped Calypso's grasp finally heading towards his home but his journey was diverted and he was stranded again in Scheria due to Poseidon's being angry over what Odysseus had blinded his son, the cyclops Polyphemus during his earlier journey. In Scheria, he began to weave his tale and finally tell the Phaecians of his past and his journey back from Troy to Ithaca. The tales itself include his encounter with Circe, Polyphebus, Aeolus, The Cattle of the Sun and etc. The Phaecians took pity on him and send him back to Ithaca where he plotted doom against the suitors who defiled his house.

    The story is being told in various multiple narration in the beginning (Athena, Telemachus, Penelope, Odysseus etc) that is why I get some readers would get lost and felt it is boring but if its being read out loud, the poetry in Odyssey is much more prevalent than some passive narration style. Because Fagles updated the translation to be nearer to the original, you'll get the feel of what Homer had initially tried to portray with his stories.

    Since I do critical reading with The Odyssey, I do take note to the major recurrent theme of Xenia. A concept of hospitality by the Greek that embrace travelers into their home, mostly because they fear a god would disguise themselves as travellers and would punish them if they didn't treat their guests well. There are also signs from the gods or the hint by Odysseus cunning tongue or the forebodings. Some argue that The Odyssey is used to justify the role of some political ideologies that even I couldn't grasp it firmly. Besides I was thinking that The Odyssey's characterizations and conflicts are being overused in so many modern literature particularly famous archetypal ones.

    Other than that, I do notice this book is actually a mild romance novel, particularly with Penelope who is constantly grieving about her husband from the start of the book. I can't say about Odysseus fidelity but frankly, some characters in this book is classic strong female archetype. Athena (obviously.. disguising as several guys, fighting in wars, a peacekeeper etc), Penelope (a loyal woman who acting skills and great patience is what kept her in that limbo and somehow did do something to escape her near inevitable fate of loveless forced marriage from a broken mutual love marriage), Calypso (a woman desperate in need of love and companionship so much that she offers everything kept a man who never love her) and Circe (basically a lonely girl who know how to defend herself against a bunch of men coming into her house and turn them into pigs which they are). Ironically, the female in this book have more character than a bunch of YA novels and hypes these days.

    I had some misgivings about the story initially since Telemachus part of the book is really annoying. But it move well whenever Athena and Odysseus was around.

    To anyone who is considering to take on the classic, for more immersive experience, I would recommend the combination of Fagles translation and Sir Ian McKellan's audiobook if you want to read the epic. It will take longer than a few days if you read them at night, but its well worth to see Ian McKellan curses and narrating female parts nicely.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I read this in high school and then we watched the movie. I have to say, this was one of my favorites. This, the canterbury tales, and beowulf were some of my favorite reads in my 10th/11th grade english class.