The Odyssey: The Fitzgerald Translation

There is a lot to say about this book. I just finished it and it was required reading for upcoming freshman. I must say.. It could have been much worse. the plot was confusing at times because there were 3 different subplots. One with Telemakus, One on odysseus travels and then odysseus' return home and being home. The end was pretty cool. It was hard to get into at the begginning though because it was like "sing me a song muse" or something like that.. that just really confused me but as you read it gets better and better.I wish you could just read a book and not have to like identify the themes and stuff.. I just want to write a report on how I veiwed it.. tell the story from beginning to end then forget about it. Life would be so much easier that way

Impossible. Everyone should own this book, and this translation. It's simply a classic. I don't like the cover art at all, it makes it look like some kind of new age self-help manual, but...oh well! Homer is where it all began, folks, this is essential.

The highest praise to the Odyssey (except the fact that remains a best seller for more than 3,000 years) was Kavafis' poem, Ithaca:

"When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventures, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon -- do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,

the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.

Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean"

There is nothing more than I could possibly add...

The Odyssey by Homer is about a man fighting in the Trojan War who leaves the war to go home. He has disappointed the gods so they make him pay. It takes him 20 years to reach home. It is a great book. The writing style is poetic and flows nicely together. It has some humor but not much. The language he uses is at points hard to understand but you get used to it after a while. The characters in this book are very interesting. He uses attention grabbing language to dictate the story his characters. The most appealing character to me is Circe, a goddess who turns all of Odysseus' men into swine. The only way Odysseus can get his men out of this is by having sex with her. She is most appealing to me because she can intimidate men and they cannot intimidate her. I greatly enjoyed this book and I recommend it to anyone who likes this kind of story.

This epic poem of Homer is nearly 3,000 years old -- if it weren't worth reading, then it would have died in oblivion ages ago. This enduring work has been the inspiration for James Joyce because it touches upon great truths about humanity. The wandering of Odysseus home after the war with Troy is full of those personal battles that still must be fought on the battlefield of everyday existence. In this epic poem Homer takes on the great themes of fidelity, homecoming, overcoming hardship through persistance and ingenuity, life's fickle nature, the treachery and dignity of men. This poem is about the enduring power of a man's love for his wife and family despite the hardships of distance and isolation. It's about doing battle with powerful demons and omnipotent gods with very human aspects, often with inhuman faces, living invisibly in one's very midst. It's about a man re-inventing himself until he finds the right road that delivers him from defeat and death. It's about what counts in life -- friendship, honor, love, loyalty, family, home and intelligent action. The lyrical nature of Homer's writing and Fitzgerald's translation is enthralling and lovely and memorable. This epic goes well beyond the test of time -- it's more than just a benchmark -- it serves to continue to inspire those who read it. Read Homer's Odyssey -- it can help you immensely to better understand your own.