The Odyssey of Homer (Bantam Classics) [Paperback]

Homer (Author), Allen Mandelbaum (Translator)

Book Description

Series: Bantam Classics | Publication Date: September 1, 1991

Homer's epic chronicle of the Greek hero Odysseus' journey home from the Trojan War has inspired  writers from Virgil to James Joyce. Odysseus  survives storm and shipwreck, the cave of the Cyclops  and the isle of Circe, the lure of the Sirens' song  and a trip to the Underworld, only to find his  most difficult challenge at home, where treacherous  suitors seek to steal his kingdom and his loyal  wife, Penelope. Favorite of the gods, Odysseus  embodies the energy, intellect, and resourcefulness  that were of highest value to the ancients and that  remain ideals in out time.

In this  new verse translation, Allen  Mandelbaum--celebrated poet and translator of Virgil's  Aeneid and Dante's Divine Comedy  --realizes the power and beauty of the original  Greek verse and demonstrates why the epic tale of  The Odyssey has captured the human  imagination for nearly three thousand  years.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

While Mandelbaum and the University of California Press are to be commended for attempting this new translation of The Odyssey , those of Robert Fitzgerald (Doubleday, 1963) and Richard Lattimore (Harper & Row, 1968) still remain the versions of choice for serious students who don't know Greek. Mandelbaum's poetry is fluent but lacks the feeling for the original that he brought to his fine translations of Virgil ( The Aeneid of Virgil , Bantam, 1976) and Dante ( The Divine Comedy: The Inferno , Bantam, 1982). There is a looseness in the translation that often misses the intricacy and interconnection of The Odyssey as a whole. Illustrated with engravings, this is essentially a coffee-table book.
- T.L. Cooksey, Arm strong State Coll., Savannah, Ga.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A splendid achievement outstripping all  competitors."--Anthony A. Long, author of  Hellenistic Philosophy

"With real poetic power...his book is  one no lover of living poetry should  miss."--The New York Times Book Review  

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Classics (September 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553213997
• ISBN-13: 978-0553213997
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Single Authors > Continental European
  • #12 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Epic
  • #15 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Anthologies

More About the Author

Homer was probably born around 725BC on the Coast of Asia Minor, now the coast of Turkey, but then really a part of Greece. Homer was the first Greek writer whose work survives.

He was one of a long line of bards, or poets, who worked in the oral tradition. Homer and other bards of the time could recite, or chant, long epic poems.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hear the Sirens sing., June 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Odyssey of Homer (Bantam Classics) (Paperback)

When I was a younger lad, I bought Richard Lattimore's translation, which is a grandiose bore. Then I had the good fortune to read Mandelbaum's Aeneid, which shines. This brought me to Mandelbaum's Odyssey. And it is the ideal Odyssey for scholarship and pleasure:

-The language is simple and strong. Mandelbaum knows his job--he tells the story simply and brings the ancient genius of Homer through with vigor and clarity. Occasionally Mandelbaum goes on a stint of rhyme and that's distracting, but overall the translation is beautiful.

-There's a well-drawn map of Ancient Greece in the beginning that really sets the scene for the wild sea adventures.

-One of the complaints I often hear about epics is that the many characters are difficult to keep straight. Mandelbaum solves this by giving us a comprehensive glossary in the back of the book that explains who everyone is and lists the page numbers of where they occur in the book.

-Another thing makes this a swift read is that, at the beginning of each book, Mandelbaum gives a quick summary of what's about to happen (a fantastic feature for reference and review).

Thus, with the book summaries, the glossary, and the map, you always know where you are in the epic--so while Odysseus wanders, you are never lost.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I long to be homeward bound" Simon and Garfunkel, July 11, 2009

By 

bernie "xyzzy" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Odyssey of Homer (Bantam Classics) (Paperback)

The Trojan War is over and one of our hero kings is lost. His son (Telemachus) travels to find any information about his father's fait. His wife (Penelope) must cunningly hold off suitors that are eating them out of house and home.

If he ever makes it home, Odysseus will have to detect those servants loyal from those who are not. One absent king against rows of suitors; how will he give them their just deserts? We look to Bright Eyed Pallas Athena to help prophecy come true.

Interestingly all the tales of monsters and gods on the sea voyage was told by Odysseus. Notice that no one else survives to tell the tale. Therefore, we have to rely on Odysseus' word.

Many movies took sections of The Odyssey, and expanded them to make interesting stories those selves.

Not just the story but also the way in which it is told will keep you up late at night reading.


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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Major Issues with Kindle Edition, January 31, 2010

By 

C. Huskey (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Odyssey of Homer (Bantam Classics) (Kindle Edition)

I have no beef with the translation, but the Kindle edition of this particular book is missing pretty much all of Book XV. If you need this, get the print version off of Amazon -- it's almost as cheap, especially when you consider that they skimmed a little off of the top by removing a chunk of the actual content. It's pretty easy to transfer print to Kindle format, why remove around twenty pages? It's infuriating.