Book Cover of Odyssey

The Odyssey

by Homer

A wandering king who's a war-hero doomed to roam the earth by a vengeful God, a plethora of fantastic experiences, a wife battling the invasion of suitors who wish to replace her missing husband, a son in search of his father - the Odyssey is a rich tapestry of incredible experiences and unforgettable characters. A must-read classic for anyone who wants to understand the fundamentals of Western mythology, it is a sequel to the Illiad which recounts the magnificent saga of the Trojan War. The Odyssey continues on, describing the trials and tribulations of the Greeks under the leadership of Odysseus. Reputed to have been composed nearly three thousand years ago, its authorship is still being debated by scholars, though much of it is attributed to the blind poet Homer about whom very little is known. Yet the Illiad and The Odyssey remain the definitive foundations of all Western literature. The Odyssey is a magnificent epic tale that portrays the journey called life. In fact the word “odyssey” in English itself has come to mean a long and eventful journey. In the preceding book The Illiad, Odysseus called Ulysses in Roman mythology, the king of Ithaca, gets embroiled in the Trojan War through the trickery of the Greeks. But once inside, his wonderful qualities of intellect, strategy and leadership come to the foreground as he leads his soldiers to victory. The story of the Odyssey begins when the war of The Illiad ends. Odysseus and his men embark to return to Ithaca but his sworn enemy, the sea god Poseidon, stymies him at every turn, sending storms and foul weather, forcing the wanderers to take shelter in strange and sinister lands. The Odyssey is, besides, the story of Odysseus' beautiful wife Penelope, whose life becomes a struggle, fighting off the innumerable hopefuls who wish to take over her kingdom and her fortune in the absence of her husband. It is also the poignant growing-up tale of Telemachus, a faithful and steadfast son, who refuses to believe that his father won't return. There are many notable translations from the original Greek and it has also been extensively portrayed in art, literature, television and television in languages around the world. Full of human tragedy, bizarre and fantastic creatures, gods and magical beasts, the Odyssey is a treasure-chest of marvelous events. For modern-day readers, young and old alike, it provides exciting, interesting and relevant ideas of war, politics, exile and identity.

Book Details

Language

English

Original Language

Homeric Greek

Published In

Authors

Homer image

Homer

Greece

Homer (Ancient Greek: Ὅμηρος Greek pronunciation: , Hómēros; c. 800–c. 701 BC) was the presumed author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems...

Books by Homer

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

Dick Sands the Boy Captain  Cover image

Dick Sands the Boy Captain by Jules Verne

Dick Sand is a fifteen-year-old boy serving on the schooner Pilgrim, a whaler that normally voyages across the Pacific in their efforts to find target...

Blessings for Chanukah Cover image

Blessings for Chanukah by Jessie E. Sampter

Celebrate the magic of Chanukah with this enchanting collection of poems and blessings by Jessie E. Sampter! Blessings for Chanukah is a delightful b...

Völsungasaga Cover image

Völsungasaga by Anonymous

The Völsunga saga is a 13th-century Icelandic prose epic that recounts the story of the legendary Völsung clan. It is a powerful and tragic tale of lo...

Baseball Joe on the Giants Cover image

Baseball Joe on the Giants by Lester Chadwick

In this installment of the Baseball Joe series, young Joe Matson finds himself traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the New York Giants. Joe's jour...

Clarel Cover image

Clarel by Herman Melville

Clarel is an epic poem by Herman Melville that follows the journey of a young American, Clarel, to the Holy Land. The poem explores themes of faith, d...

The Faerie Queene Book 5 Cover image

The Faerie Queene Book 5 by Edmund Spenser

The Fifth Book of the Faerie Queene contayning the Legende of Artegall or of Ivstice.This masterpiece was never completed, but it continues to be one...

Nibelungenlied Cover image

Nibelungenlied by Anonymous

Das Nibelungenlied, oft als das nationale Epos Deutschlands bezeichnet, ist ein mittelalterliches Heldengedicht, das im frühen 13. Jahrhundert in Mitt...

Leila; or The Island Cover image

Leila; or The Island by Ann Fraser Tytler

"Leila; or The Island" by Ann Fraser Tytler whisks readers away to a lush and mysterious setting, where the fates of its characters are entwined with...

Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field Cover image

Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field by Sir Walter Scott

Marmion is a lengthy narrative poem by Sir Walter Scott, set in the early 16th century during the reign of King James IV of Scotland. It tells the sto...

The Last Days of Pekin Cover image

The Last Days of Pekin by Pierre Loti

This timeless literary masterpiece takes readers on an enchanting adventure through the heart of Imperial China. Loti's vivid storytelling and evocati...

Reviews for The Odyssey

No reviews posted or approved, yet...