The Odyssey

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Summary: The Odyssey of the Ego
Review: I have loved this book since I first read it in 1995! People who like poetry will easily fall into the enchanting spell of the Fagle's version of Homer's classic tale of one man's journey to return to the wife and child he left 10 yrs. ago. I'll admit, the main character, Odysseus, lacks some philosophical morals, but if you spent twenty yrs. of your life without your family, raging war and sailing at sea, you'd probably begin to unwind from your natural self. Odysseus is by no means a great man, he's a chauvinist, a merciless tyrant, and a bit of a selfish egotist, but hey, the word 'I' in Ancient Greek is Ego, so go figure. Homer created realisitic characters, and timeless quests in one of the greatest books of all time.

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Summary: The Best translation Ever
Review: The passion of this translation is amazing. There isn't a tepid page to be found, every word is a perfect fit and every sentence perfectly fitting. The Odyssey is timeless and magical, Robert Fagles has brought that beauty to the forefront-telling the same story, but telling it much better. I am still beside myself with awe...

Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: An amazing epic. The story of brave Odysseus after the ten year battle with the Trojans. A truly beautiful and powerful story from almost three thousand years ago tells the story of Odysseus' attempts to get to his home on Ithaca and to his wife and to his son who he hasn't seen for over two decades, due mostly to the wrath of Posideon. Sometimes gruesome in description and touching in others, this is a great classic piece of literature.

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Summary: An exciting new look at an old friend.
Review: You know the story, but you have NEVER heard it like this before! Ian McKellen brings The Odyssey to life with his extraordinary gift. Fagles' translation is superior to any other I've found. Together they have breathed so much life and beauty into this ancient story that there were some passages I listened to again and again. What a lovely, lovely experience.

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Summary: The Odyssey as it was meant to be experienced!
Review: Having read other great translations in the past, in college and later, I was interested in this new translation and intrigued by the opportunity to hear the work read by a talented actor. The story was meant to be listened to, not read, as it comes from an oral tradition of poetry passed down over hundreds of years before Homer perfected it and wrote it down for posterity. Listening to the tapes literally envelopes one in the imagery of the heroic age. Never before have I enjoyed my ride to work so much. Also, my 5 and 9 year old daughters began requesting it when I drove them to school! You will love these tapes! Also, the related recording of the Iliad with Derek Jacobi was equally amazing. ENJOY!

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Summary: Critically aclaimed... I'd say Homer at his best!
Review: I think "The Odyssey" is a very intriging book, I have read it over and over again and I think that the story of a man who endured suffering and hardships for so many years only to return home at last to his wife who waited for his return and not giving in to the temptations,is amazing. She (wife) displays the role of what a strong willed, dedicated woman... should be. The stories of his adventures is enough to capture the imagination of any adventurous mind.

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Summary: What on earth?
Review: Giving this book one star was very gracious, it deserves -2 stars. There is no other word than awful. For school, we had to read this book, and I was kind of excited, I think Greek Mythology is very interesting. I knew that it would be somewhat of a challange, knowing it was poetry and since it was assigned in my Honors English class. Now that we are done with the book, I am forced to write a 5 page paper on it. All that I can possibly say is that it bored me and I could not even finish it, because it was not written a way that you could understand it. I am warning you if you like to waste your time you should read this book, otherwise stay clear!

Rating:
Summary: The Odyssey
Review: Wonderful book, the Hallmark movie was good also. I need to know if the messenger of the gods was called the FarDarter, or who was the FarDarter? Help Please! Thank You!

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Summary: A VERY ENGROSSING TALE!
Review: First of all I am a freshman in high school, I am not the kind of person that you think would be reading this book, but this book is the best book I have read in my entire life! Robert Fagles did a wonderful job translating. I think that this story has a good plot and it's like your going through the same thing Odesseus went through. This is a must buy if you like "epics."

Rating:
Summary: masterful
Review: Fagles' Odyssey is what Homer (the man, the organization, the woman -- whatever you believe Homer WAS) certainly intended the Odyssey to be. It is translated as poetry, and Fagles' experience in writing his own work and translating others' comes through here. Dactylic lines ('fast') pull you through the text at surprising speed, and spondaic lines ('slow') force you to slow down. The Greek comes shining through as never before, with more of its intricacies intact. For example, when a young Odysseus is described in the beginning of book 19, the phrase "a young boy on a mission" is given its own line. It DOES NOT have its own line in Greek, but it is, however, an enjambment (in which a word or short phrase "hangs over" in the following line for effect). This device might not have as much power in English, and might not strike the reader so heavily -- but it is meant to. We are meant to see a vignette of a young man, all alone and braving the world. Instead of mushing it in with another line, Fagles uses his poetic sense to make a whole line for the little "picture" of Odysseus. The liberties that Fagles DOES take with the text have a purpose, and a purpose that is achieved fully. Imagine this much attention being given to each line, and you might have an idea of why this is such a good translation. The second aspect of Fagles' translation that is truly excellent is his "ear" for Homer. the Odyssey was made to be PERFORMED, and not READ. Read aloud any other translation and you will find it does not have the same clarity or energy. I sincerely hope that this translation will live on. Fagles captures the genius and richness of Homer better than any other translator I have read in English. A huge majority of people who dislike Homer say they do because he is "so boring." I can't believe how someone who picks this up and reads it seriously might be unable to appreciate the intricacy and beauty, the care and precision with which every line is translated, and with which it was originally written.