The Odyssey

I love the cover and the deckled-edging of this book, it's gorgeous. Wilson's translation isn't just historic, it may be the best translation of The Odyssey. I'm very excited to read this in full, saving it for a book club reading.

Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey is a remarkable achievement. Not only is it the first English version by a woman, but it also captures the beauty, complexity, and diversity of Homer's ancient poem. Wilson uses clear and elegant language, and a rhythmic iambic pentameter that echoes the original Greek meter. She also preserves the number of lines in each book, making her translation faithful to the structure and pace of the original. Wilson's Odyssey is a creative and insightful interpretation. She brings out the nuances and ambiguities of Homer's characters, especially the "complicated" hero Odysseus, who is both a cunning trickster and a suffering wanderer. She also pays attention to the perspectives and voices of the women, slaves, and foreigners in the poem, who are often marginalized or silenced in other translations. She challenges the traditional readings of the poem that glorify violence, patriarchy, and colonialism, and instead highlights the themes of hospitality, justice, and identity. This book will enrich the understanding and appreciation of Homer's masterpiece for modern readers. It is a work of art that deserves to be read and enjoyed by anyone who loves literature, poetry, and adventure. I highly recommend this translation to anyone who wants to experience The Odyssey in a new and refreshing way.

I learnt more about the world it describes from the introduction than I had from reading other translations of the Odyssey. It is plainly expressed but poetic and very honest in expressing the complexity of the characters making them lively and real in the mind of the reader. The text of the Poem itself is rhythmic and flows naturally making this a very accessible and enjoyable read. The best I’ve ever read, and I’ve read a few!

A modern translation but comfortably cast in imabics.

Wanted to read this before the film came out at the cinema. I'm so glad I did. The way the book is written makes it easy to follow the story. Would recommend to anyone who is dubious about being able to understand and follow the plot. Great book! Now looking forward to being able to follow events in the film.........

Well packaged & delivered as promised. A new & interesting translation with a great introduction.

Ironic the amount of people who purchased this book who do not know how to read. The page cut is on purpose, it is supposed to look this way. It's called deckle-edging and says so in the product description. 10/10 - gorgeous copy. Translation is top notch, one of the beast modern translations for sure for a very easy read.

I wasn't expecting the deckle-cut (rough) finish to the edges but I like it. The uneven pages make it feel like an ancient artefact, not just a good read. Everything else is as expected: the type, paperback binding, the weight of the paper. The metallic touches on the cover are gorgeous. I had the Iliad and Odyssey as a kid and I'm looking forward to reading this translation.

A new translation that goes back to the original text. It drops some of the sanitized translations, which among other things called household slaves “servant”. It also shows Odysseus as both heroic and a schemer, again something sanitized in earlier translations. I specially like that it maintains the poetic structure rather than turning it into text and storytelling. Well done. Funny observation: in many areas this reads like a 2000 year old version of the “Game of Thrones”.

وصلني الكتاب وبالنصف فيه زي الشق واضح والصفحات داخله ببعض بسببه

Thank you gods and Wilson for this amazing book !! If not for this translation I wouldn't have lasted the first round in the battle of reading homer!

The pages are not cut correctly. This is not a printing error, but it’s deliberately designed that way.

Das beste an diesem Buch sind aus meiner Sicht die Hintergrundinformationen der Autorin (Übersetzerin) zur Entstehung der Geschichte, div. Hinweisen warum sie welches Wort auf eine bestimmte Art übersetzt hat, etc.