The Odyssey (Penguin Classics) [Mass Market Paperback]

Homer (Author), Bernard Knox (Editor, Introduction), Robert Fagles (Translator)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: October 31, 2006

Robert Fagles's stunning modern-verse translation-available at last in our black-spine classics line

The Odyssey is literature's grandest evocation of everyman's journey through life. In the myths and legends that are retold here, renowned translator Robert Fagles has captured the energy and poetry of Homer's original in a bold, contemporary idiom and given us an Odyssey to read aloud, to savor, and to treasure for its sheer lyrical mastery. This is an Odyssey to delight both the classicist and the general reader, and to captivate a new generation of Homer's students.

Editorial Reviews

Review

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)

About the Author

Homer (c. 8th century BC) is considered the greatest of Greek poets.

Robert Fagles has been awarded the PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation and an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Bernard Knox is director emeritus of Harvard's Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143039954
• ISBN-13: 978-0143039952
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,846 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #41 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fagles Is the Best Translation Available, June 26, 2010

By 

Collin S. Garbarino (Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Odyssey (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

This review is not a review of the story of Odysseus, but rather a review of Robert Fagles's translation of the Odyssey. Fagles's work in this translation is sparkling. I absolutely love the way he's revived this classic tale.

Let me begin with nuts and bolts. The Penguin Classics version of Fagles's translation is simply a great book to hold in your hand. The book FEELS good. Also, the book has some extras that make it essential. First, Barnard Knox has written an excellent introduction to the text. He explains Homer's cultural and literary context, and he covers the various debates regarding the poem's creation and transmission in a thorough, non-technical manner. Highly recommended reading. Second, the book has some helpful maps of the Greek-speaking lands to help orient the reader. Third, in the back of the book is a pronunciation guide and glossary. Some of these names are a bit strange, so it's helpful to refer to the back sometimes to get some help. Every character and place in the book, no matter how minor, is explained in the back.

In addition to all these benefits, this translation of the text is my absolute favorite. Fagles has produced a verse translation, which preserves the poetic nature of the original. If you're looking for a prose version of Homer, then this book might not be for you (but I'd suggest you give the verse a try). Fagles's main competition for a verse version of the Odyssey is Richard Lattimore's which was published in the 1960s. Some people feel that Lattimore's version is still superior, but I think those people are just being snobby. Lattimore's version is a little more rigid, maybe a little closer to the Greek, but not as poetic and enjoyable.

One of my favorite things about Fagles over Lattimore is that Fagles has abandoned the pretentious adherence to Greek spellings. In Lattimore we read about Athene, Kalypso, Aithiopians, Kronos, and Ithaka, while in Fagles we read about Athena, Calypso, Ethiopians, Cronus, and Ithaca. It's an Enlish translation so translating the names into their traditional English forms makes for a superior reading experience. Also, Fagles has a better ear for English poetry. So he refers to Odysseus as "the man of twists and turns," while Lattimore calls him "the man of many ways." Lattimore is more literal, but he doesn't capture the essence of the Greek meaning or poetic nature as well as Fagles does. One more example from the first page, Lattimore says that those who made it home from the Trojan War "escaped the sea and the fighting." Compare this with Fagles's far more literary "escaped the wars and waves."

Buy this Fagles translation. Read this Falges translation. Love this Fagles translation.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent translation, January 2, 2008

By 

Howard Schulman (Providence, RI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Odyssey (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

It wasn't easy, but I have to admit I had a great time reading Robert Fagles' translation of the Odyssey. I thought his translation offered just the right compromise between using "elevated language" and readability. Also, I liked the traditional verse format Fagles retained, even though the English version had no rhyme scheme or strict metric format found in the original. The shorter lines made it easier to read.

The 70-page introduction by Bernard Knox also helped quite a bit. It focused mostly on higher themes of the Odyssey, which was great. There are also excellent explanatory notes on specific lines at the end of the book. I read all these notes before I read that particular section to avoid flipping back and forth too much. I also kept a copy of Cliff's notes along side me, reading the upcoming chapter in Cliff's before reading the real text.

As I was saying, it wasn't easy, but the Odyssey and the Iliad are such basic texts that all this effort was well worth it. I still have a hard time accepting that the text was written in roughly 800 BC, yet the insight into what it's like to be human seemed so real. No wonder this edition was a best seller when it came out 20 years ago, re-inspiring movies and television shows.

Fagles' Iliad is next!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great translation., May 14, 2008

By 

Lynne Cochran (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Odyssey (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

I recommend this translation for anyone who loves this story, and tried to read it before and gave up. This book is an easy, flowing, beautiful read. Some readers may disagree with some of the translator's choices. For instance, the scene where Odysseus must carefully explain to Calypso why he wants to leave her - this translation has him say that he longs to travel home and see the dawn of his return. I prefer it translated as he longs for his homecoming. There are some very ancient-Greek reasons why that way of saying it conveys a fuller meaning, and also explains why Calypso doesn't press him further. But, unless you're a scholar of Homerian epics, you probably won't feel cheated by this translation. Instead, you will be transported by the poetry, excited by the adventure, and delighted by the fact that you are reading this great work of art without struggle.