The Odyssey (Signet Classics) [Paperback]

Homer (Author), W. H. D. Rouse (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1999

A story encompassing the entirety of human emotion, The Odyssey remains one of the greatest literary works in the history of the world. It is the story of the Trojan war hero Odysseus and his ten-year journey to return home to his family and kingdom. Having angered the gods with his pride after the Greek victory, he finds himself cast adrift at sea, facing dangers beyond measure and trials beyond understanding. Truly a staple of literature and an epic adventure.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Greek

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Signet Classics; Unknown Edition edition (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451527364
• ISBN-13: 978-0451527363
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #461,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent plain language translation, June 25, 2004

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IMHO - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Odyssey (Signet Classics) (Paperback)

W.H.D. Rouse provides an excellent plain language translation of Homer's classic "The Odyssey". Other translations can make reading this classic a real chore, but Rouse's version was an easy read.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An epic odyssey, May 15, 2004

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Jake Stitch (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Odyssey (Signet Classics) (Paperback)

After so many people have said so much over countless centuries about Homer's "Odyssey," what is left for me to say? In this review I will not so much attempt to review the work itself as the translation. Suffice to say that it is a grand adventure that should not be missed. but average modern readers may miss it, being weary of reading it as poetry or are simply intimidated by its age.

If you are one of those people, fear not! W.H.D. Rouse's prose translation brings The Odyssey to the masses with flair. Reading it for school this year, I was a bit apprehensive of it at first, but eager to see what was so great about it. I needn't have been apprehensive at all. The prose reads just as well as modern novels, and the feeling and adventure of the book is well captured.

For those who don't know, this is the story of what became of Odysseus after he fought in the Trojan War (which is chronicled in The Iliad.) Several obstacles, including the wrath of Posiden, Greek god of the sea, bar him from returning home, where savage men, under the impression that he has died at war, consume his posessions and woo his wife. Watch as he braves these obstacles with the help of the goddess Athena so that he may return home and punish the insolent wooers.

While it's slow to start off, give it time -- at its best, The Odyssey is riviting, and it's obvious why it has been able to stand the test of time and is regarded as a classic. The action is exciting and will leave you breathless, but also there is humanity and real emotion here. All of that is perfectly captured in Rouse's translation, and he brings it accross to the reader with a remarkable strength and deftness. Reading it, it's as if you re being told the story orally (which, as Rouse notes in his preface, is how it was originally intended by Homer), and all of the energy of a live storytelling is present. I commend Rouse for his work, and thank him for bringing me The Odyssey. When you read it, you will, too!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful translation, April 10, 2010

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P. Alther - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Odyssey (Signet Classics) (Paperback)

This is one of the finest translations I've read, and this is because Dr. Rouse (the translator) doesn't bog it down with unnecessary stylization and ridiculously archaic English poetics (such as the uses of words like 'twain' instead of just saying two). The Iliad as well as the Odyssey were designed to be an enjoyable, more or less easy to understand didactic, and it's impossible to translate it in such a way that it mirrors what the ancient Greeks would have heard and understood. This is also supported by the fact that we will never be able to have as full of an appreciation of the works as the ancients, because we live in a different time with different belief and lifestyles. There are parts of this wonderful work that we will never fully appreciate nor understand.

So, why do I love this translation of it and rank it among my favourite translations? Because it is in a plain verse and in simple English. As I mentioned above, you won't be able to accomplish the same rhythm as Homer did while keeping the work in high quality. The languages are way too different from each-other. If you're looking for something that has that level of rhyme and melody, then I suggest you learn the ancient Greek and read it in that form. This work is pretty much a direct translation from the original, and the translator does not take too much poetic license when changing it around but uses his skill to piece it all together to make something that can, in essence, capture what was initially intended. I have translated a few poems myself, and it is a very labourious task to undertake when you're trying to do it right and capture the authors intentions.

The works of Homer were intended for a more natural flow, which I believe was beautifully accomplished here. Honestly, a lot of the more poetic translations put me to sleep and I can never finish them because they're so boring. This one really kept my attention.

How to approach this book, and other ancient Greek works:

There is a rather patronizing and, dare I say, religiocentric point of view that Homers stories and other epics were merely a work of fictional poetry. On the contrary, it is like the Bible for the ancient Greeks, as it contains a collection of stories that are designed to further ones own enlightenment in respects to veneration towards the gods and goddesses and to your fellow man, as well as other areas of life. One of my favourite examples of this is the scene where Odysseus and his men are trapped within the cave of their captor, the cannibalistic Polyphemos. Polyphemos represents the savagery of mankind, and it teaches the lesson of why one should exhibit proper manners towards guests (The blinding scene of ole Goggle-eye was a popular scene to have on serving vessels, which still makes me chuckle). Poseidon, subsequently, unleashes his wrath upon the crew for such a transgression towards his son (I, personally, thought that was ridiculous. It was one of those moments when you read something and have to say out-loud 'Are you kidding me, come on!'. Polyphemos was a total a-hole and deserved what he had coming to him, but I digress).
If one is to approach such stories as works of fiction, then you essentially miss-out on the true, deeper meaning of it all and why they were composed. Try to be open-minded while reading it and try putting yourself into their shoes, you'll get much more enjoyment out of it.