The odyssey /
Homer,author.
Powell, Barry B.,translator.
Odysseus--soldier, sailor, trickster, and everyman--is one of the most recognizable characters in world literature. His arduous, ten-year journey home after the Trojan War, the subject of Homer's Odyssey, is the most accessible tale to survive from ancient Greece, and its impact is still felt today across many different cultures. This lively free verse translation, from one of today's leading Homeric scholars, preserves the clarity and simplicity of the original while conveying Odysseus' adventures in a modern style. By avoiding the technical formality of earlier translations, and the colloquial and sometimes exaggerated effects of recent attempts, Barry B. Powell's translation deftly captures the most essential truths of this vital text. Due to his thorough familiarity with the world of Homer and Homeric language, Powell's introduction provides rich historical and literary perspectives on the poem. This volume also includes illustrations from classical artwork, detailed maps, explanatory notes, a timeline, and a glossary. Modern and pleasing to the ear while accurately reflecting the meaning of the original, this Odyssey is a superlative translation for twenty-first-century readers.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Telemachos in Ithaca -- Telemachos calls an assembly -- Telemachos in Pylos -- Telemachos in Sparta -- Odysseus and Kalypso -- Odysseus and Nausicaa -- Odysseus in the Phaeacian court -- The stranger in town -- Odysseus in the cave of Cyclops -- Odysseus and Kirkē -- Odysseus in the underworld -- Odysseus on the island of the sun -- Home at last -- Odysseus in the pig herder's hut -- The pig herder's tale -- Father and son -- The faithful dog Argos -- Presents from the suitors -- Odysseus' scar -- A vision of doom -- The contest of the bow -- The slaughter of the suitors -- Husband and wife -- Father and son.
Odysseus--soldier, sailor, trickster, and everyman--is one of the most recognizable characters in world literature. His arduous, ten-year journey home after the Trojan War, the subject of Homer's Odyssey, is the most accessible tale to survive from ancient Greece, and its impact is still felt today across many different cultures. This lively free verse translation, from one of today's leading Homeric scholars, preserves the clarity and simplicity of the original while conveying Odysseus' adventures in a modern style. By avoiding the technical formality of earlier translations, and the colloquial and sometimes exaggerated effects of recent attempts, Barry B. Powell's translation deftly captures the most essential truths of this vital text. Due to his thorough familiarity with the world of Homer and Homeric language, Powell's introduction provides rich historical and literary perspectives on the poem. This volume also includes illustrations from classical artwork, detailed maps, explanatory notes, a timeline, and a glossary. Modern and pleasing to the ear while accurately reflecting the meaning of the original, this Odyssey is a superlative translation for twenty-first-century readers.
Epic poetry, Greek.
Epic poetry, Classical.