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The Odyssey (Penguin Classics) Paperback – April 29, 2003

by Homer (Author), H. Rieu (Editor), E. V. Rieu (Translator),

4.6 1,628 ratings

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The epic tale of Odysseus’s journey home – one of the earliest and greatest works of Western literature

If the Iliad is the world's greatest war epic, the Odyssey is literature's grandest evocation of an everyman's journey through life. Odysseus' reliance on his wit and wiliness for survival in his encounters with divine and natural forces during his ten-year voyage home to Ithaca after the Trojan War is at once a timeless human story and an individual test of moral endurance.

E. V. Rieu’s translation has long been beloved and celebrated by scholars and readers alike, and for this Penguin Classics edition, classicist D. C. H. Rieu has revised the work of his father. This edition also includes an introduction by Peter V. Jones.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“[Robert Fitzgerald’s translation is] a masterpiece . . . An Odyssey worthy of the original.” –The Nation

“[Fitzgerald’s Odyssey and Iliad] open up once more the unique greatness of Homer’s art at the level above the formula; yet at the same time they do not neglect the brilliant texture of Homeric verse at the level of the line and the phrase.” –The Yale Review

“[In] Robert Fitzgerald’s translation . . . there is no anxious straining after mighty effects, but rather a constant readiness for what the occasion demands, a kind of Odyssean adequacy to the task in hand, and this line-by-line vigilance builds up into a completely credible imagined world.”
–from the Introduction by Seamus Heaney

About the Author

Homer was probably born around 725BC on the Coast of Asia Minor, now the coast of Turkey, but then really a part of Greece. Homer was the first Greek writer whose work survives.

He was one of a long line of bards, or poets, who worked in the oral tradition. Homer and other bards of the time could recite, or chant, long epic poems. Both works attributed to Homer – the Iliad and the Odyssey – are over ten thousand lines long in the original. Homer must have had an amazing memory but was helped by the formulaic poetry style of the time.

In the Iliad Homer sang of death and glory, of a few days in the struggle between the Greeks and the Trojans. Mortal men played out their fate under the gaze of the gods. The Odyssey is the original collection of tall traveller’s tales. Odysseus, on his way home from the Trojan War, encounters all kinds of marvels from one-eyed giants to witches and beautiful temptresses. His adventures are many and memorable before he gets back to Ithaca and his faithful wife Penelope.

We can never be certain that both these stories belonged to Homer. In fact ‘Homer’ may not be a real name but a kind of nickname meaning perhaps ‘the hostage’ or ‘the blind one’. Whatever the truth of their origin, the two stories, developed around three thousand years ago, may well still be read in three thousand years’ time.

E. V. Rieu was a celebrated translator from Latin and Greek, and editor of Penguin Classics from 1944-1964. His son, D. C. H. Rieu has revised his work.

D. C. H. Rieu is the son of E. V. Rieu, celebrated translator from Latin and Greek and Editor of Penguin Classics from 1944-1964.

Peter Jones is former lecturer in classics at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

‘”Strangers!” he cried. “And who are you? Where do you come from over the watery ways? Is yours a trading venture; or are you cruising the main on chance, like roving pirates, who risk their lives to ruin other people?”

‘Our hearts sank. The booming voice and the very sight of the monster filled us with panic. Still, I managed to find words to answer him. “We are Achaeans,” I said, “on our way back from Troy – driven astray by contrary winds across a vast expanse of sea – we’re making our way home but took the wrong way – the wrong route – as Zeus, I suppose, intended that we should. We are proud to say that we belong to the forces of Agamemnon, Atreus’ son, who by sacking the great city of Ilium and destroying all its armies has made himself the most famous man in the world today. We find ourselves here as suppliants at your knees, in the hope that you may give us hospitality, or even give us the kind of gifts that hosts customarily give their guests. Good sir, remember your duty to the gods; we are your suppliants, and Zeus is the champion of suppliants and guests. He is the god of guests: guests are sacred to him, and he goes alongside them.”

‘That is what I said, and he answered me promptly out of his pitiless heart: “Stranger, you must be a fool, or must have come from very far afield, to order me to fear or reverence the gods. We Cyclopes care nothing for Zeus with his aegis, nor for the rest of the blessed gods, since we are much stronger than they are. I would never spare you or your men for fear of incurring Zeus’ enmity, unless I felt like it. But tell me where you moored your good ship when you came. Was it somewhere along the coast, or nearby? I’d like to know.”

‘His words were designed to get the better of me, but he could not outwit someone with my knowledge of the world. I answered with plausible words: “As for my ship, it was wrecked by the Earthshaker Poseidon on the borders of your land. The wind had carried us on to a lee shore. He drove the ship up to a headland and hurled it on the rocks. But I and my friends here managed t o escape with our lives.”

‘T this the gruel brute made no reply. Instead, he jumped up, and reaching out towards my men, seized a couple and dashed their heads against the floor as though they had been puppies. Their brains ran out on the ground and soaked the earth. Limb by limb he tore them to pieces to make his meal, which he devoured like a mountain lion, leaving nothing, neither entrails nor flesh, marrow nor bones, while we, weeping, lifted up our hands to Zeus in horror at the ghastly sight. We felt completely helpless. When the Cyclopes had filled his great belly with this meal of human flesh, which he washed down with unwatered milk, he stretched himself out for sleep among his flocks inside his cave.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0140449116
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; Revised edition (April 29, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780140449112
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140449112
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 830L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.76 x 5.08 x 0.98 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #54,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #42 in Ancient & Classical Poetry
- #64 in Epic Poetry (Books)
- #1,678 in Classic Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.6 1,628 ratings

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Homer

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Homer was probably born around 725BC on the Coast of Asia Minor, now the coast of Turkey, but then really a part of Greece. Homer was the first Greek writer whose work survives.

He was one of a long line of bards, or poets, who worked in the oral tradition. Homer and other bards of the time could recite, or chant, long epic poems. Both works attributed to Homer - The Iliad and The Odyssey - are over ten thousand lines long in the original. Homer must have had an amazing memory but was helped by the formulaic poetry style of the time.

In The Iliad Homer sang of death and glory, of a few days in the struggle between the Greeks and the Trojans. Mortal men played out their fate under the gaze of the gods. The Odyssey is the original collection of tall traveller's tales. Odysseus, on his way home from the Trojan War, encounters all kinds of marvels from one-eyed giants to witches and beautiful temptresses. His adventures are many and memorable before he gets back to Ithaca and his faithful wife Penelope.

We can never be certain that both these stories belonged to Homer. In fact 'Homer' may not be a real name but a kind of nickname meaning perhaps 'the hostage' or 'the blind one'. Whatever the truth of their origin, the two stories, developed around three thousand years ago, may well still be read in three thousand years' time.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

1,628 global ratings

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Stephen Kershnar

Very Readable Version

Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2023

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The translation is quite readable and enjoyable. The discussion of the book is excellent and added a lot to my understanding and appreciation of it.

Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2010

Verified Purchase

Knowing the precise condition and price of the item is always great. It helps me with picking out which item best suits me. The Odyssey (paperback) that I received was exactly in the condition as stated in the description of the item on Amazon. I had received it before the given estimated date of arrival. I am very satisfied with the product and with the sender.

Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2013

Verified Purchase

this book is the best book I have read for school. it is an amazingly easy read for the time period it was written in and it is very easy for a male like me to read due to the fact that its a greek mythology book with quests and trials.

One person found this helpful

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T. Bouwman

Wonderful book

Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2014

Verified Purchase

Does a piece of literature get any better? Yes, actually. This translation, while good, doesn't flow in the same way I've seen of a more poetic version do it previously. I can't remember the translator off the top of my head. Perhaps other reviewers could help me out.

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LD

Making the grade, text meets the assignments specific as a required part of the course curriculum.

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2016

Verified Purchase

This classic title was purchased for a summer reading assignment prior to beginning the high school freshman year. It meets all of the expectations of the assignment.

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Brandilyn Hill

Welcome back to High School

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2013

Verified Purchase

its rare to love a book you are forced to read when you are 16, and yet 12 years later you can't wait to get your hands on it again. I love all of Homers work

One person found this helpful

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Adriana Torres

Classic epic poem

Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2013

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Greatest book that's ever been written hands down. I definitely recommend it if you're not looking for a quick read,

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Reviewer

Solid version of the timeless classic.

Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2018

Verified Purchase

Good if you are just reading “The Odyssey” for pleasure. If you plan to annotate, spend a few extra bucks for the deluxe version (with more space on the sides to write in).

One person found this helpful

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Dhiviyan Maheswaran

Great book, its the Odyssey. Greek classic, not much else to explain.

Reviewed in Australia on December 31, 2023

Verified Purchase

The Odyssey is one of the oldest pieces of Western literature. It's a good read.

Vanetta

Late delivery of the product

Reviewed in India on March 28, 2018

Verified Purchase

The book did take a lot of time to get delivered but it was worth the wait . The book wasn’t damaged at all unlike some books I have purchased in the past and the font size is very much readable.

2 people found this helpful

Strawberry

A simple non-literary review of the odyssey...A great book to buy!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

I'll be honest, my first experience of the basic story or the odyssey was watching 'Homer's Odyyssey' on the simpsons! But having seen a glimpse of the idea of the story when I was younger I vowed to one day read the real version. I'm glad I did and this penguin version in my opinion is the best way to get to understand the story whether you are into literature or not.

The odyssey is a poem and many translators have done excellent jobs of translating the text into English while keeping it a poem. However translating into a poem can not only sometimes lose some of the real story but can also alienate those who would like to know the story but can't deal with an epic poem. This is why this book is so great! The penguin version has been translated into a story, like reading a novel. This makes it incredibly easy to understand the plot and draws you so much more into the story.

The language used is also very easy to read and understand. Being a penguin book just like with wordsworth classics these books have little notes, whenever there's something that might not be understood by someone reading it they have added a helpful note, this makes reading it even easier. And when you are done with the story itself there is even to read at, where experts have added information (like the stuff you'd read if you were studying at school).

The story itself is very interesting, I won't give anything away and other reviewers have certainly added a lot about this but I will say that if you want to find out about this classic but aren't into the poetry aspect then this penguin version is definitely for you. I'd also recommend the illiad, written in the same format but set earlier, that book is every bit as readable as this one. The only hiccup in the story of the odyssey for me was right at the end. The ending seemed a bit off (the notes explain why) but I did feel a little dissatisfied by the ending, but that's just my personal opinion and doesn't change how great this book is.

18 people found this helpful

Augusto Bajo

Disfrutar de Homero en 2013

Reviewed in Spain on May 28, 2013

Verified Purchase

La introducción a la edición de 1946, muy buena. La traducción facilita la lectura y comprensión de un texto del s. VIII AC.

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Aman Kalita

perfect packaging

Reviewed in India on December 9, 2020

Verified Purchase

perfect packaging with sound quantity & quality. Liked it....

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