This is Homer's epic chronicle of the Greek hero Odysseus' triumph over Troy and arduous journey home: Odysseus survives a storm and shipwreck, the cave of the Cyclops and the isle of Circe, the lure of the Sirens' song and a trip to the Underworld, only to find his most difficult challenge at home, where treacherous suitors seek to steal his kingdom and his loyal wife, Penelope.
The Odyssey of Homer
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"The best...translator of Greek poetry into English is Richmond Lattimore...This is the best Odyssey in modern English" Gilbert Highet "In this Odyssey, Professor Lattimore has achieved his chef d'oeuvre as a translator...A dazzling and well-nigh flawless performance... Here is a master in perfect control of his medium...A landmark in the history of modern translation...It would be a crime to underestimate the miraculous and self effacing artistry with which Professor Lattimore has reanimated Homer for this generation, and perhaps for other generations to come... Times Literary Supplement "Lattimore's translation of Homer's Odyssey is the most eloquent, persuasive and imaginative I have seen. It reads as if the poem had originally been written in English." Paul Engle
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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‘The best living translator of Greek poetry into English is Richmond Lattimore…. This is the best Odyssey in modern English.’ – Gilbert Highet
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Filled with noun epithets and other Homeric figures of speech that could only be brought out in verse. So it's very good if you are studying Homer.
I read it in prose the first time when I was younger not knowing that there was verse translations.
With Lattimore's version you get a sense that you are actually reading somrthing that is as close to the original as you're gonna get.
I read it in prose the first time when I was younger not knowing that there was verse translations.
With Lattimore's version you get a sense that you are actually reading somrthing that is as close to the original as you're gonna get.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By Graham S
Format:Paperback
There's a confusing choice of translations of The Odyssey available on the market; some are wonderful, and some are frankly torrid and almost impenetrable even to a reader who is educated in and familiar with the classics.
Although some of the prose translations may initially seem to offer an easier route into the marvels of Homer, don't be fooled! Lattimore has produced a translation that is sparkling in its imagery and is therefore in many respects a far easier read than many prose versions.
Quite simply, as the blurb on the cover states: you'd be excused for thinking that The Odyssey was actually originally written in English!
For a verse translation of Homer's Odyssey, you won't go wrong with Lattimore.
Although some of the prose translations may initially seem to offer an easier route into the marvels of Homer, don't be fooled! Lattimore has produced a translation that is sparkling in its imagery and is therefore in many respects a far easier read than many prose versions.
Quite simply, as the blurb on the cover states: you'd be excused for thinking that The Odyssey was actually originally written in English!
For a verse translation of Homer's Odyssey, you won't go wrong with Lattimore.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By John Sheldon
Format:Paperback
This is not a new translation, the translator Richard Lattimore died a few years ago, but it is one of the best blank verse translations I have ever read (the other really good one is by Francis Caulfeild, but you would be lucky to find a copy now). The translator has attempted to reproduce in English blank verse the style and idiom of Homer's original Greek version (dating from about 2600 years ago). I am not qualified to comment on the technicalities of Lattimore's Greek-English translation, but I have been enjoying The Odyssey in English translations for several decades now and know a 'good read' when I find one.
There is a very good introduction which, yes, gives the plot away, but that does not matter as Homer's original audience knew the story well anyway - what made Homer's Odyssey so good was the way he told it; and in essence it is the same thing that makes Lattimore's translation so good - there is a freshness that keeps you reading, and although I have read a number of different versions, each of them several times, this book is still compulsive reading. The introdction also covers the construction of the story, which starts halfway through, then fills in the earlier events like a 'flashback' before continung to the end (yes, Homer thought of this way of telling a story long before our current film/TV industry did).
There is an exhaustive and very helpful glossary, mostly concerning the identities of the numerous people and gods who appear or are referred to in the story.
Yes, this is a recommended book to anyone who wants something a bit more demanding than airport pulp fiction and who can be patient with and open to the idiosyncracies of a very old, and comparatively expansive, writing style.... Read more ›
There is a very good introduction which, yes, gives the plot away, but that does not matter as Homer's original audience knew the story well anyway - what made Homer's Odyssey so good was the way he told it; and in essence it is the same thing that makes Lattimore's translation so good - there is a freshness that keeps you reading, and although I have read a number of different versions, each of them several times, this book is still compulsive reading. The introdction also covers the construction of the story, which starts halfway through, then fills in the earlier events like a 'flashback' before continung to the end (yes, Homer thought of this way of telling a story long before our current film/TV industry did).
There is an exhaustive and very helpful glossary, mostly concerning the identities of the numerous people and gods who appear or are referred to in the story.
Yes, this is a recommended book to anyone who wants something a bit more demanding than airport pulp fiction and who can be patient with and open to the idiosyncracies of a very old, and comparatively expansive, writing style.... Read more ›
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By alexkemp
Format:Paperback
When I was at school we studied the Rieu transalation of The Odyssey so when I revisited the epic as part of my university course I was reluctant to switch to the recommended Lattimore version. I eventually overcame my fear of change and am pleased to report that the Lattimore is the most faithful and accurate translation that I have encountered. It also makes a great study aid when refering back to the original ancient greek sources.
While Lattimore or Rieu are both suitable for those of us with slight scholarly inclinations - I understand that beginners might be better with a prose translation such as Shewring. I will still keep my Rieu translation on the bookshelf out of fondness!
33 of 35 people found the following review helpful
By Graham Mummery
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
This translation of The Odyssey is highly rated by classics scholars. My classics teacher at school rated as the finest following the original Greek virtually line for line with astonishing accuracy into English. Not having quite reached that level in Classical Greek, I cannot comment on that. But I have read several translations of this work (surely one of the greatest books ever written). The poetry flows without ever losing the narrative thread. Those unused to reading poetry will have no problems with this. The notes on place names, gods etc (which are liberally spread inside the text) are clear and helpful. Lattimore's introduction to the text is excellent. Those coming first to the Odyssey wanting a prose translation might try Rieu's excellent one in Penguin Classics. But you hardly need it- translation does not get better than this - nor or that matter does poetry.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Roman Clodia
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
People are generally supposed to be either an 'Iliad' person or an 'Odyssey' person and I have to confess that I'm definitely an 'Iliad' person. Even so, this is THE translation of the Odyssey, whether you're a student or a general reader. Lattimore amazingly maintains the narrative drive of the original with a sense of the majestic sound and rhythm of the language so that you know you're reading an 'epic' - in all senses of the word.
Hailed as a fantasy/romance depicting the Greek's engagement with the outside world that they were coming into contact with through colonisation, or a meditation on what it means to be civilised and urban as opposed to being 'natural' such as the cyclops or Circe, this is still a wonderful story with which anyone can engage.
Where the Iliad is about dissolution, death and the breaking of all human bonds, the Odyssey is about reconciliation, restitution and homecoming. Odysseus (the Roman Ulysses) is a Greek 'everyman' struggling to make it home from Troy to his faithful wife Penelope while facing the challenges (both martial and sexual) of his opponents, and on his journey meets and defeats the sirens, the cyclops, Sylla and Charybdis, Circe, Kalypso and a host of other obstacles.
For me, one of the most fascinating and poignant episodes is where we see Helen back at home in Sparta with her husband Menelaus who has brought her back from Troy.
Essential reading as one of the foundations of European literature, this is a far better translation that the prose Penguin or Oxford versions.
Hailed as a fantasy/romance depicting the Greek's engagement with the outside world that they were coming into contact with through colonisation, or a meditation on what it means to be civilised and urban as opposed to being 'natural' such as the cyclops or Circe, this is still a wonderful story with which anyone can engage.
Where the Iliad is about dissolution, death and the breaking of all human bonds, the Odyssey is about reconciliation, restitution and homecoming. Odysseus (the Roman Ulysses) is a Greek 'everyman' struggling to make it home from Troy to his faithful wife Penelope while facing the challenges (both martial and sexual) of his opponents, and on his journey meets and defeats the sirens, the cyclops, Sylla and Charybdis, Circe, Kalypso and a host of other obstacles.
For me, one of the most fascinating and poignant episodes is where we see Helen back at home in Sparta with her husband Menelaus who has brought her back from Troy.
Essential reading as one of the foundations of European literature, this is a far better translation that the prose Penguin or Oxford versions.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping yarn
The Odyssey is a great story, I only wish I could read it in the original Greek, but as I can't and I am far too old to learn now, I sought advice on which translate to buy. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Tracey 1
5.0 out of 5 stars
Homer
I bought this on behalf of a friend who is very satisfied with it as it met all his expectations
Published 4 months ago by Julian H Francis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Story - Good; Quality - Bad
I have still given this a good rating because the quality of the words is excellent.
My complaint is about the texture and quality of the paper. Read more
My complaint is about the texture and quality of the paper. Read more
Published 13 months ago by R. Chrichlow
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant Translation
I have only tried three different translations of The Odyssey so I can't claim to be an expert. One was a Victorian version which is a difficult read, one was a modern English... Read more
Published on 17 May 2011 by writer christopher
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant!
I'm a student, and I attempted to read the E.V.Rieu translations of Homer's works and suffered- it was so dull!
Lattimore's version brings the story to life, it reads well. Read more
Lattimore's version brings the story to life, it reads well. Read more
Published on 12 April 2011 by cal3000
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fine verse translation
This translation was first published in 1967. Every generation needs a new translation. I thought so until I read this version. Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2011 by Ian.S.
3.0 out of 5 stars
good translation - poor formatting on the kindle
The book is fine but on the kindle it does not format the text properly. Margin numbers are mixed with the body of the text. Paragraphs are almost random. Poorly formatted. Read more
Published on 7 Dec 2010 by Bobby Hundreds
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding
The best translation I have ever read. It is a verse translation, not prose & so is as close to the original that you can get in English - yet it somehow it still manages to be a... Read more
Published on 9 Nov 2010 by Cinders
5.0 out of 5 stars
I predict this author will go far
It seems impertinent to review the Odyssey, so I will just say that the translation is very readable
Published on 12 Oct 2010 by Timothy R. Armstrong
4.0 out of 5 stars
Supposedly the best version of Homer's Epic
I am reading this version of Homer's Epic poem as a set text for my degree in classical studies. It is supposed to be the best version to read as it is meant to be as close to the... Read more
Published on 11 Oct 2010 by Vicki Mint
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