The Odyssey: The Fitzgerald Translation (Paperback)

by Homer (Author), Robert Fitzgerald (Translator), D. S. Carne-Ross (Introduction) "house. As it is, the effect of Zeus' words, judicious though they are, cannot be very great..." (more)
Key Phrases: larder mistress, wide seaboard, great tactician, Lord Odysseus, Pallas Athena, Father Zeus (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A masterpiece . . . An Odyssey worthy of the original."--William Arrowsmith, The Nation

"Here there is no anxious straining after mighty effects, but rather a constant readiness for what the occasion demands, a kind of Odyssean adequacy to the task in hand."--Seamus Heaney
-- Review

Review

"A masterpiece . . . An Odyssey worthy of the original."--William Arrowsmith, The Nation

"Here there is no anxious straining after mighty effects, but rather a constant readiness for what the occasion demands, a kind of Odyssean adequacy to the task in hand."--Seamus Heaney

See all Editorial Reviews

---

Product Details Paperback: 528 pages Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Seventh edition (November 5, 1998) Language: English ISBN-10: 0374525749 ISBN-13: 978-0374525743 Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (94 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,013 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) #1 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Mythology > Greek & Roman #1 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Single Authors > Continental European #3 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Ancient, Classical & Medieval

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
house. As it is, the effect of Zeus' words, judicious though they are, cannot be very great. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
larder mistress, wide seaboard, great tactician

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Lord Odysseus, Pallas Athena, Father Zeus, The Poem of Odysseus, King Odysseus, The Odyssey, Lord Poseidon, Lotos Eaters, Lord Laërtes, The Iliad, Mount Neion, Ancient of the Sea, Odysseus Laërtiades

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 23 books:

• Iliad and Odyssey by Homer on 4 pages
• The Homeric Odyssey (The Mary Flexner Lectures) by Denys Lionel Page in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
• The Epithets in Homer by Paolo Vivante on page 7, and Back Matter
• Greek Folk Religion by Martin P. Nilsson in Front Matter
• The Third Kind of Knowledge: Memoirs & Selected Writings by Robert Fitzgerald in Back Matter

See all 23 books this book cites

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Greek Gods, Human Lives by Professor Mary Lefkowitz

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The Iliad by Homer

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Homer by Jasper Griffin

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The Odyssey by Homer

Discusses:

• golden jug
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Anthology Of Classical Myth by Stephen Trzaskoma Discusses: golden wand barren sea Pallas Athena The Homeric Hymns by Homer Discusses: golden wand barren sea shadowy hall Greek Gods, Human Lives by Professor Mary Lefkowitz Discusses: twelve axes golden wand barren sea The Iliad by Homer Discusses: winedark sea great tactician lord marshal Loading...

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	4% buy The Odyssey (Penguin Classics) 4.5 out of 5 stars (42) $10.40
	2% buy The Iliad: The Fitzgerald Translation 4.3 out of 5 stars (39) $11.20

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Customer Reviews

94 Reviews 5 star:  (63) 4 star:  (16) 3 star:  (6) 2 star:  (3) 1 star:  (6)           Average Customer Review 4.4 out of 5 stars (94 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 73 of 75 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Fitzgerald is Homer's greatest emissary, February 19, 2000 By  D. Roberts "Hadrian12" (Battle Creek, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)       This review is from: The Odyssey: The Fitzgerald Translation (Hardcover) Robert Fitzgerald's translations are among my favorites. While it is virtually impossible to translate Dactylic Hexameter into English, Fitzgerald still captures much of the power and majesty of Homer in his translation. Now, it is conceded that the Odyssey is technically inferior to the Iliad. It is for this reason that the majority of Homeric scholars believe he wrote the Odyssey first, THEN the Iliad. In any case, the Odyssey is still an awesome piece of literature and has enjoyed an enormous influence over all of western thought for close to 3,000 years. It is dubious to believe too many of today's poets / authors will still be remembered 2,500+ years from now. As always with classic literature, I would admonish anyone interested in reading the Odyssey to first consult everything that has gone before, such as the Judgment of paris & the Iliad, etc. The tale will make SO MUCH more sense that way. As one can see by the negative reviews to this work, Homer is not for those who are only interested in instant gratification. If you cannot get interested in a book which may take you a month to read & a lifetime to truly understand, Homer is not for you. On the other hand, if you're really intrigued by Greek mythology, history or literature, this book is an ABSOLUTE must. It is one of the great cornerstones of all western literature. I am quite certain that people will still be reading Homer 3,000 years from now. 62 of 67 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Not as difficult as many think, May 28, 2000 By  M. H. Bayliss "book queen" - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    Just because it's by some guy named Homer and it's "classic" doesn't mean it's unreadable. Quite to the contrary, the Odyssey is one of the most readable ancient works around because so many of the stories (the Cyclops, Scylla and Charbydis, Circe, Penelope) have become part of the very fabric of our Western culture. Even Eric Clapton sings of Homer in "Tales of Brave Ulysses" in the old song by Cream! There's an allusion for you. Surprisingly, most of my honors 9th grade students adored the Odyssey and found it easy going. The Iliad is harder because it's more of a war book, while the Odyssey is much more of an adventure poem. You won't find the same technical level of poetry in the Odyssey (few of the those great epic similies) as you do in the Iliad, but it is the much more accessible work of the two. Great background reading for both kids and adults is the D'Aulair's Greek Mythology which is written for kids, but helpful for adults as well. I do like Fitzgerald's translation, but I"m still partial to the Lattimore for its proximity to the Greek. Most readers will find Fitzgerald easier, but once you've enjoyed it, give the Lattimore a try -- it's the closest you can come to hearing the poem in Greek. 45 of 48 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Homer Has It All, October 25, 2000 By  Peter J. O'Malley (Cambridge. MA USA) - See all my reviews    Robert Fitzgerald's poetic translation of Homer's ODYSSEY simply picked me up and carried me away when I first read it in the tenth grade. I did not expect something written thousands of years ago to have such colorful language and vivid images. Nor did I expect it to surpass anything I had read before as the greatest story ever told. Very few works have even matched it in my last 15 years of reading. THE ODYSSEY is the prototypical journey tale of world literature. After ten years fighting and helping the Greeks win the Trojan War, Odysseus, King of Ithaka, offends the sea god Poseidon and is doomed to another ten years of wandering before being able to return to his wife, son, and homeland. He meets all manner of deadly obstacles and pleasant diversions along the way, but always in his mind is the desire for home. Virtually everything is in THE ODYSSEY: a son's coming-of-age without his father, a hero's escape from giant whirlpools, sexy sorceresses and the angry wine-dark sea, the most faithful wife in the history of literature, and that's just for starters. Fitzgerald imposes no stylistic or rhythmic roadblocks, on the contrary, his poetry is smooth and his gift for bring us all the color and music of Homer is rich and deft. In my book, only Shakespeare and Tolstoy are in the same class as Homer, but the ancient one should be experienced first. Read THE ODYSSEY before or after THE ILIAD, but read it and enjoy.		Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars "I long to be homeward bound" Simon and Garfunkle 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. Read more Published 4 days ago by bernie 4.0 out of 5 stars Almost too readable? Well, I'm not a Greek or Classics major. The writing program I work for assigns this edition. Now, although with a work of this bulk I feel bad complaining, but I am sure that... Read more Published 11 months ago by Sören Fröhlich 5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible The Odyssey will always be a classic of literature, and with good reason. With the intense battles, Odysseus's clever tricks, and Penelope and Telemachus's heart-wrenching plight,... Read more Published 12 months ago by The Readingmaniac 4.0 out of 5 stars Fitzgerald's Homer I here consider not the story of the Odyssey itself, accounts of which abound, but rather Robert Fitzgerald's 1961 translation. Read more Published 12 months ago by Christopher Strauss 5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than I Remembered I just read The Odyssey again for a literature class. Man, it was better than I remembered. I had read this back in high school in 1996 or 97, and at the time I didn't care for... Read more Published 16 months ago by Amorphous 5.0 out of 5 stars The Odyssey. Homer/ Robert Fitzgerald, translator. "Odysseus rolled his head to one side softly, ducking the blow, and smiled a crooked smile with teeth clenched. Read more Published 21 months ago by Wesley L. Janssen 5.0 out of 5 stars "The Odyssey" review By Jove--this is something else. Firstly, if you are interested in this book, get background information on Greek mythology, The Iliad, and The Odyssey. Read more Published on April 15, 2007 by Zodiac 5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece of Poetry This book is not bad, but I had some difficulty understanding it. It's a lot of reading, and lots of words in there that I don't know, which is kind of irritating because I'm too... Read more Published on January 14, 2007 by Melvin Lin 5.0 out of 5 stars All time favorite Writer. All time favorite Hero. The Odyssy, is a classic book written by Homer himself that stars the famous Hero Odysseus, his son Telemachus, and the goddess Athena. Read more Published on December 10, 2006 by Paul F. Souza 1.0 out of 5 stars WORST BOOK EVER! this book is definitely one of the most boring books i have ever read! it could not hold my attention for more than two minutes, and ordinarily i have a long attention span. Read more Published on October 3, 2006 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Seventh edition (November 5, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374525749
• ISBN-13: 978-0374525743
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,013 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Mythology > Greek & Roman
  #1 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Single Authors > Continental European
  #3 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Ancient, Classical & Medieval

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fitzgerald is Homer's greatest emissary, February 19, 2000

By	D. Roberts "Hadrian12" (Battle Creek, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Odyssey: The Fitzgerald Translation (Hardcover)

Robert Fitzgerald's translations are among my favorites. While it is virtually impossible to translate Dactylic Hexameter into English, Fitzgerald still captures much of the power and majesty of Homer in his translation. Now, it is conceded that the Odyssey is technically inferior to the Iliad. It is for this reason that the majority of Homeric scholars believe he wrote the Odyssey first, THEN the Iliad. In any case, the Odyssey is still an awesome piece of literature and has enjoyed an enormous influence over all of western thought for close to 3,000 years. It is dubious to believe too many of today's poets / authors will still be remembered 2,500+ years from now. As always with classic literature, I would admonish anyone interested in reading the Odyssey to first consult everything that has gone before, such as the Judgment of paris & the Iliad, etc. The tale will make SO MUCH more sense that way. As one can see by the negative reviews to this work, Homer is not for those who are only interested in instant gratification. If you cannot get interested in a book which may take you a month to read & a lifetime to truly understand, Homer is not for you. On the other hand, if you're really intrigued by Greek mythology, history or literature, this book is an ABSOLUTE must. It is one of the great cornerstones of all western literature. I am quite certain that people will still be reading Homer 3,000 years from now.

62 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not as difficult as many think, May 28, 2000

By	M. H. Bayliss "book queen" - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Just because it's by some guy named Homer and it's "classic" doesn't mean it's unreadable. Quite to the contrary, the Odyssey is one of the most readable ancient works around because so many of the stories (the Cyclops, Scylla and Charbydis, Circe, Penelope) have become part of the very fabric of our Western culture. Even Eric Clapton sings of Homer in "Tales of Brave Ulysses" in the old song by Cream! There's an allusion for you. Surprisingly, most of my honors 9th grade students adored the Odyssey and found it easy going. The Iliad is harder because it's more of a war book, while the Odyssey is much more of an adventure poem. You won't find the same technical level of poetry in the Odyssey (few of the those great epic similies) as you do in the Iliad, but it is the much more accessible work of the two. Great background reading for both kids and adults is the D'Aulair's Greek Mythology which is written for kids, but helpful for adults as well. I do like Fitzgerald's translation, but I"m still partial to the Lattimore for its proximity to the Greek. Most readers will find Fitzgerald easier, but once you've enjoyed it, give the Lattimore a try -- it's the closest you can come to hearing the poem in Greek.

45 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Homer Has It All, October 25, 2000

By	Peter J. O'Malley (Cambridge. MA USA) - See all my reviews

Robert Fitzgerald's poetic translation of Homer's ODYSSEY simply picked me up and carried me away when I first read it in the tenth grade. I did not expect something written thousands of years ago to have such colorful language and vivid images. Nor did I expect it to surpass anything I had read before as the greatest story ever told. Very few works have even matched it in my last 15 years of reading.

THE ODYSSEY is the prototypical journey tale of world literature. After ten years fighting and helping the Greeks win the Trojan War, Odysseus, King of Ithaka, offends the sea god Poseidon and is doomed to another ten years of wandering before being able to return to his wife, son, and homeland. He meets all manner of deadly obstacles and pleasant diversions along the way, but always in his mind is the desire for home. Virtually everything is in THE ODYSSEY: a son's coming-of-age without his father, a hero's escape from giant whirlpools, sexy sorceresses and the angry wine-dark sea, the most faithful wife in the history of literature, and that's just for starters.

Fitzgerald imposes no stylistic or rhythmic roadblocks, on the contrary, his poetry is smooth and his gift for bring us all the color and music of Homer is rich and deft. In my book, only Shakespeare and Tolstoy are in the same class as Homer, but the ancient one should be experienced first. Read THE ODYSSEY before or after THE ILIAD, but read it and enjoy.