The Odyssey: Introduction by Seamus Heany (Everyman's Library Classics Series)

The Odyssey is truly a classical book beyond imagine. The whole book is written in iambic pentameter, a feat quite unlike reality. The book quality is absolutely perfect and it comes along with a strip to bookmark your spots. If you are a fan of Greek mythology and love to sit down and read a good book, there's no where else better to start than The Odyssey!

Love the Everymans Library editions. The font could be just a touch bigger.

Everyone should read it. This, the Iliad and the Bible are the most quoted books of all time. The translation was great translation.

Excellent, all time favorite!

Classic

good

I've got the Fagles, Rouse, and Fitzgerald translations and have read them all more than once, the Fitzgerald about six times. I can read Greek with some difficulty but am no scholar. I cannot comprehend how many folks view the Fagles as superior, but it is a matter of taste. Fitzgerald is a poet and his version is very powerful and free from the clunky constructions found in Fagles.

By Jove--this is something else.Firstly, if you are interested in this book, get background information on Greek mythology, The Iliad, and The Odyssey. Familiarize yourself with Homer's style, the different spellings of names, etc. It's especially good to read this in school, which is where I read it first, because the teacher has knowledge of the epic and can help you in reading it.The Odyssey is really, something else. It and its partner The Iliad have their own style of story-telling, characterization, and description.Homer, the storyteller, possesses a powerful and confident voice. As my English teacher said, "Homer is the MAN of epics", and that could not be a lie. The text is hard to read at first, because it contains advanced language, some archaic words, and the reader needs to familiarize themselves with the cultural background of ancient Greece. However, the text becomes enjoyable and rhythmic as the story progresses, making the reader wanting to read NOTHING ELSE but Homer.The storyline itself is AMAZING, but even more than that. It's chaotic, contains plot twists...it's possibly one of the IDEAL stories of all time.Odysseus' journey to return home to Ithaka is filled with life themes such as despondency, peril, greed, and bravery. It's emotionally moving and thought-provoking as one reads of the lives Odysseus, Telemachus, and Penelope lead after the Trojan War, and awaiting the reunion of their family. Odysseus' own 'odyssey' is filled with dangerous monsters, promiscious nymphs, and sorrow-filled nights at sea.Figuratively, The Odyssey parallels real life, because each life is an 'odyssey'. We all face our monsters, promiscious nymphs, and sorrow-filled nights, but also the rage of battle against suitors and the joy of finally returning home.