Tuesday, May 31, 2011

The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Robert Fagles with introduction by Bernard Knox. 1996, ISBN 0-14-026886-3. The story of Odysseus return home to Ithaca (see map) after the end of the Trojan war. Odysseus gets put off course because he offended one of the gods and spends ten years trying to get home. At the same time, during the war and his journey home, Odysseus' son Telemachus grows up into a world of increasing chaos because his mother, Penelope, Odysseus' wife, is being courted by a large band of suitors because it is generally believed that Odysseus had died. At over 400 pages, this is a very large poem, still this translation is easy to read.