Review
"Ian Johnston has pulled it off: at last we have an Odyssey in English which is as natural, direct, and straightforward as the original Greek but which loses nothing but which loses nothing of Homer's music. A model translation, ideal for students and lovers of poetry alike - this is an Odyssey which sings." --- Professor Jack Mitchell, Department of Classics, College of the Holy Cross
"To render an ancient Greek text with its richly nuanced meanings and musical, rhythmic cadences in clear, accesssible contempory language, without losing the effect of the original, is an admirable achievement exemplified by Ian Johnston's translation of Homer's Odyssey. From the opening invocation of the goddess of poetry, to the hero's arduous adventures and finally to his homecoming, Johnston brings the dactylic rhythms, vivid imagery, elaborate similes, colorful characters, sheer adventure, and exquisite artistry of Homer's text alive for contemporary students." - --Daniel White, Professor of Philosophy, Honors College, Florida Atlantic University
"To render an ancient Greek text with its richly nuanced meanings and musical, rhythmic cadences in clear, accesssible contempory language, without losing the effect of the original, is an admirable achievement exemplified by Ian Johnston's translation of Homer's Odyssey. From the opening invocation of the goddess of poetry, to the hero's arduous adventures and finally to his homecoming, Johnston brings the dactylic rhythms, vivid imagery, elaborate similes, colorful characters, sheer adventure, and exquisite artistry of Homer's text alive for contemporary students." --- Daniel White, Professor of Philosophy, Honors College, Florida Atlantic University
About the Author
Ian Johnston was born in Valparaiso, Chile and raised in Canada and England. He attended McGill University in Montreal, the University of Bristol and the University of Toronto. He worked for many years as a college and university-college instructor in British Columbia teaching English, Classics and Liberal Studies. He is the author of the book, The Ironies of War: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. He is now retired and living in Namaimo, British Columbia.
