Odyssey (Everyman Paperback Classics) [Paperback]

Homer (Author), Richard Stoneman (Editor), William Cowper (Translator), Peter Levi (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Everyman Paperback Classics | Publication Date: October 15, 1992

By its evocation of a real or imaged heroic age, its contrasts of character and its variety of adventure, above all by its sheer narrative power, the Odyssey has won and preserved its place among the greatest tales in the world. It tells of Odysseus' adventurous wanderings as he returns from the long war at Troy to his home in the Greek island of Ithaca, where his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus have been waiting for him for twenty years. He meets a one-eyed giant, Polyphemus the Cyclops; he visits the underworld; he faces the terrible monsters Scylla and Charybdis; he extricates himself from the charms of Circe and Calypso. After these and numerous other legendary encounters he finally reaches home, where, disguised as a beggar, he begins to plan revenge on the suitors who have for years been besieging Penelope and feasting on his own meat and wine with insolent impunity.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Founded in 1906 by J.M. Dent, the Everyman Library has always tried to make the best books ever written available to the greatest number of people at the lowest possible price. Unique editorial features that help Everyman Paperback Classics stand out from the crowd include: a leading scholar or literary critic's introduction to the text, a biography of the author, a chronology of her or his life and times, a historical selection of criticism, and a concise plot summary. All books published since 1993 have also been completely restyled: all type has been reset, to offer a clarity and ease of reading unique among editions of the classics; a vibrant, full-color cover design now complements these great texts with beautiful contemporary works of art. But the best feature must be Everyman's uniquely low price. Each Everyman title offers these extensive materials at a price that competes with the most inexpensive editions on the market-but Everyman Paperbacks have durable binding, quality paper, and the highest editorial and scholarly standards.

Product Details

• Paperback: 396 pages
• Publisher: Orion Publishing Group, Ltd. (October 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0460871552
• ISBN-13: 978-0460871556
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,701,577 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rivals Pope, February 22, 2007

By 

Jack Cade (Mass. USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Odyssey (Everyman Paperback Classics) (Paperback)

I am ashamed to say that though I have struggled through the Odyssey in Greek I was unaware that Cowper had done a translation--of which I have now read portions. It is superb. We think of Pope as the great 18th century translator of Homer but as another reviewer has written, a careful reading of Cowper provides great pleasures--I like it as much as Pope. Do be aware that it takes some getting used to since the cadence of an 18th century line takes getting used to. If you like the language of Jane Austen however I think you will appreciate Cowper's achievment. Enough said.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On accents winged, October 12, 2006

By 

David A. Baer (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Odyssey (Everyman Paperback Classics) (Paperback)

For lovers of language and epic drama, Homer and the Bible brook few competitors. For readers up for a slightly higher degree of difficulty, William Cowper's eighteenth-century English translation of the Oddyssey provides a second layer of beauty. Not only do you get Homer's genius. You also soak in the resonant and ironic tones of an English dialect that is familiar enough to be almost completely understood but also different enough from modern American dialect to bring astonishing and pleasing insight into the language we speak.

Odysseus gets lost on his way home from the Trojan War.

And what a piece of luck that is, for it generates this tale of epic suffering, nobility, vice, vengeance, and freshly requited love that is so riveting that one almost aches for his neighbor who has not read or heard Homer.

Moderns unfamiliar with the classics may want to approach the Odyssey by way of the film Brother, Where Art Thou? Though a retelling of the Odyssey that all but redefines the word 'loose', the plot structure is similar enough to serve as a point of reference while reading Cowper's Odyssey translation or - better still - listening to Naxos' recording of the same.

Reviews are intended to be about the book, not about the reviewer's pleading. But forgive me just this: you really *need* to meet Homer and his most elevated and elevating narrative poetry. You won't be sorry. Bite the bullet. Grit your teeth. Fight those inner demons. Forget everything your boring literature teacher told you.

Discover the Odyssey.