The Odyssey

Praise for Robert Fagles Translation of The Odyssey

“Wonderfully readable… Just the right blend of roughness and sophistication.”—Ted Hughes

“Robert Fagles is the best living translator of ancient Greek drama, lyric poetry, and epic into modern English.”—Garry Wills, The New Yorker

“Mr. Fagles has been remarkably successful in finding a style that is of our time and yet timeless.”—Richard Jenkyns, The New York Times Book Review

Homer was likely born around 725 BC on the coast of Asia Minor, which is now the coast of Turkey but was then considered part of Greece. He is recognized as the first Greek writer whose work has survived. Homer belonged to a tradition of bards, or poets, who performed epic poems orally. These poets, including Homer, possessed remarkable memories and utilized a formulaic style of poetry to recite lengthy works like the Iliad and the Odyssey, both of which exceed ten thousand lines in their original form.

The Iliad recounts tales of death and glory, focusing on a brief period during the conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans. In this epic, mortal men navigate their destinies under the watchful eyes of the gods. The Odyssey, on the other hand, is an early collection of adventurous travel stories. It follows Odysseus’s arduous journey home from the Trojan War, during which he encounters fantastical beings such as one-eyed giants, sorceresses, and alluring temptresses. His many memorable escapades precede his eventual return to Ithaca and his loyal wife, Penelope.

It is uncertain whether both these epics were solely authored by Homer. The name “Homer” itself might be a pseudonym, possibly meaning “the hostage” or “the blind one.” Regardless of their precise origins, these two stories, developed approximately three thousand years ago, may well continue to be read for another three thousand years.

Robert Fagles (1933-2008) was the Arthur W. Marks ‘19 Professor of Comparative Literature, Emeritus, at Princeton University. He received the 1997 PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation and a 1996 Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His notable translations include Sophocles’s Three Theban Plays, Aeschylus’s Oresteia (nominated for a National Book Award), Homer’s Iliad (winner of the 1991 Harold Morton Landon Translation Award), Homer’s Odyssey, and Virgil’s Aeneid.

Bernard Knox (1914-2010) served as Director Emeritus of Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C. He taught at Yale University for many years. His extensive honors include awards from the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the National Endowment for the Humanities. His published works include The Heroic Temper: Studies in Sophoclean Tragedy, Oedipus at Thebes: Sophocles’ Tragic Hero and His Time, and Essays Ancient and Modern (which received the 1989 PEN/Spielvogel-Diamonstein Award).

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.