“Of all the creatures that breathe and creep about on Mother Earth there is none so helpless as man. As long as the gods grant him prosperity and health he imagines he will never suffer misfortune in the future. Yet when the blessed gods bring him troubles he has no choice but to endure them with a patient heart. The reason is that this view we mortals take of this earthly life depends on what Zeus, the father of gods and men, sends us day by day.”

(From the edited E.V. Rieu translation)

I am so glad I finally got around to reading this! I am (almost) hesitant to review this at all, since it has taken me so embarrassingly long to read it (both in the sense of time spent reading it and general lateness), but I have some thoughts to share anyway. Of course the story is great, very exciting and adventure-filled, with plenty of mythology to explore and exciting moments; the episodic nature keeps it from getting too heavy, and will easily keep the reader entertained, even if they are unfamiliar with the world; the translation (E.V. Rieu, revised edition) is splendid, and I love how sparse and yet helpful the notes are; not an overload like I have seen in other books. I think it is interesting to compare with the Iliad (as well as other ancient works), although I am aware that it is more widely read than most Greek texts. The portrayal of the gods was particularly interesting, in that Athena plays such a central role that it trumps that of other gods, including Zeus, as opposed to the Iliad where a variety of gods contribute to the narrative in about equal amount.

It is not as straightforward as the Iliad, nor as powerful and moving in my opinion, but will probably hold a modern reader’s attention more easily (it is honestly easier and more enjoyable to read, and not so tragic as the Iliad; if you disliked the Iliad it should not put you off this), although I personally prefer the Iliad and think it has a lot more depth. However, I would not, as my mentor did, call the poet of the Odyssey an ‘inferior hack’ (and no, I don’t think they were written by the same person – I don’t find it likely at all), and I am of course grateful for this particular work beginning the Penguin Classics tradition (although Penguin have sadly not shown themselves in the best possible light recently :( ).

Although I enjoyed the language and the narrative very much, it had to lose one mark for the character’s attitudes – I tried to put my own views aside and embrace the attitudes of the time, but I can only do so much. Odysseus isn’t much of a charmer either (at least not to me), arrogant and annoying much of the time (and this is most blatantly displayed in his own speech), but Telemachus is even worse, and I think anyone who has read it, card-carrying feminist or not, will know why. (I understand that he wants to assert his dominance in the household, but did he really have to suppress his mother so many times? He reminds me of Neoptolemus, only the poet expects you to like him. The fact that some people have proposed that the Iliad is a poem aimed at men, and the Odyssey for women, seems laughable to me.) Like father like son, I suppose – if you can get past that, though, it is a thoroughly worthwhile read.