The Odyssey of Homer

Richmond Lattimore

Book cover for The Odyssey of Homer
Book cover for The Odyssey of Homer

The Odyssey of Homer

The Odyssey of Homer

Richmond Lattimore

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Description

Homer's great epic The Odyssey--one of Western literature's most enduring and important works--translated by Richmond Lattimore

A classic for the ages, The Odyssey recounts Odysseus' journey home after the Trojan War--and the obstacles he faces along the way to reclaim his throne, kingdom, and family in Ithaca.

During his absence, his steadfast and clever wife, Penelope, and now teenaged son, Telemachus, have lived under the constant threat of ruthless suitors, all desperate to court Penelope and claim the throne. As the suitors plot Telemachus' murder, the gods debate Odysseus' fate. With help from the goddess Athena, the scattered family bides their time as Odysseus battles his way through storm and shipwreck, the cave of the Cyclops, the isle of witch-goddess Circe, the deadly Sirens' song, a trek through the Underworld, and the omnipresent wrath of the scorned god Poseidon.

An American poet and classicist, Richmond Lattimore's translation of The Odyssey is widely considered among the best available in the English language. Lattimore breathes modern life into Homer's epic, bringing this classic work of heroes, monsters, vengeful gods, treachery, and redemption to life for modern readers.

Critical Reviews

"A splendid achievement. . . the best translation there is of a great, perhaps the greatest, poet." -- New York Times Book Review

"A landmark in the history of modern translation. . . . Lattimore has reanimated Homer for this generation, and perhaps for other generations to come." -- Times Literary Supplement (London)

"Lattimore's translation of Homer's Odyssey is the most eloquent, persuasive, and imaginative I have seen. It reads as if the poem had originally been written in English." -- Paul Engle

"The best. . . translator of Greek poetry into English is Richmond Lattimore. . . . This is the best Odyssey in modern English." -- Gilbert Highet

"[Lattimore's] Odyssey is his masterpiece." -- Walter Kaufmann

Publishing Information

Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pub date: 2007-06-26
Length: 400 pages

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