The Odyssey

Praise for Robert Fagles Translation of The Odyssey

“Wonderfully readable… Just the right blend of roughness and sophistication.”—Ted Hughes

“Robert Fagles is the best living translator of ancient Greek drama, lyric poetry, and epic into modern English.”—Garry Wills, The New Yorker

“Mr. Fagles has been remarkably successful in finding a style that is of our time and yet timeless.”—Richard Jenkyns, The New York Times Book Review

Homer was likely born around 725 BC on the coast of Asia Minor, which is now the coast of Turkey but was then considered part of Greece. He is recognized as the first Greek writer whose work has survived. Homer belonged to a tradition of bards, or poets, who performed in the oral tradition, able to recite or chant long epic poems. Both the Iliad and the Odyssey, works attributed to Homer, originally exceeded ten thousand lines. While Homer must have possessed an exceptional memory, the formulaic style of poetry prevalent at the time would have aided him.

The Iliad by Homer recounts tales of death and glory, focusing on a few days within the conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans. In this epic, mortal men enact their destinies under the watchful eyes of the gods. The Odyssey, on the other hand, is an early collection of extraordinary traveler’s tales. It follows Odysseus on his journey home from the Trojan War, during which he encounters a variety of fantastical beings, from one-eyed giants to sorceresses and alluring temptresses. His adventures are numerous and memorable before he finally reaches Ithaca and is reunited with his loyal wife, Penelope.

It is not definitively known if Homer authored both these epics. In fact, “Homer” might not be a given name but rather a nickname, possibly meaning “the hostage” or “the blind one.” Regardless of their true origins, these two stories, developed approximately three thousand years ago, may very well continue to be read in another three thousand years.

Robert Fagles (1933-2008) was the Arthur W. Marks ‘19 Professor of Comparative Literature, Emeritus, at Princeton University. He received the 1997 PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation and a 1996 Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His notable translations include Sophocles’s Three Theban Plays, Aeschylus’s Oresteia (which was nominated for a National Book Award), Homer’s Iliad (winner of the 1991 Harold Morton Landon Translation Award by The Academy of American Poets), Homer’s Odyssey, and Virgil’s Aeneid.

Bernard Knox (1914-2010) served as Director Emeritus of Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C. He taught at Yale University for many years and received numerous honors, including awards from the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the National Endowment for the Humanities. His published works include The Heroic Temper: Studies in Sophoclean Tragedy, Oedipus at Thebes: Sophocles’ Tragic Hero and His Time, and Essays Ancient and Modern (which received the 1989 PEN/Spielvogel-Diamonstein Award).

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