or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
27 used & new from £1.99
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Homer's Odyssey
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

Homer's Odyssey (Paperback)

by Simon Armitage (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
Price: £7.93 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £5.06 (39%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Friday, November 13? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
22 new from £2.46 4 used from £1.99 1 collectible from £5.99
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover £14.99 £11.49 12 used & new from £0.53

Frequently Bought Together

Homer's Odyssey + Sir Gawain and the Green Knight + Beowulf: A New Translation
Price For All Three: £19.89

Show availability and delivery details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

by Simon Armitage
5.0 out of 5 stars (9)  £5.99
Tyrannosaurus Rex Versus the Corduroy Kid

Tyrannosaurus Rex Versus the Corduroy Kid

by Simon Armitage
4.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £5.99
Beowulf: A New Translation

Beowulf: A New Translation

by Seamus Heaney
4.6 out of 5 stars (39)  £5.97
Selected Poems

Selected Poems

by Simon Armitage
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £5.87
Gig: The Life and Times of a Rock-star Fantasist

Gig: The Life and Times of a Rock-star Fantasist

by Simon Armitage
5.0 out of 5 stars (3)  £5.97
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Faber and Faber (1 Nov 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0571229360
  • ISBN-13: 978-0571229369
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 134,300 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #60 in  Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > Poetry > Genres > Myths

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Product Description

Originally commissioned for BBC Radio, this work recasts Homer's epic as a series of dramatic dialogues.


About the Author

Simon Armitage was born in West Yorkshire in 1963. He works as a freelance writer, broadcaster and playwright, and has written extensively for radio and television. His most recent work, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, is a fantastic revival of an Arthurian classic.

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Homer's Odyssey
56% buy the item featured on this page:
Homer's Odyssey 4.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£7.93
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
24% buy
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 5.0 out of 5 stars (9)
£5.99
Beowulf: A New Translation
8% buy
Beowulf: A New Translation 4.6 out of 5 stars (39)
£5.97
The Odyssey (Penguin Classics)
7% buy
The Odyssey (Penguin Classics) 4.6 out of 5 stars (16)
£5.98
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
5 star:    (0)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing take on a classic, 29 Nov 2006
This review is from: Homer's Odyssey (Hardcover)
Lively, jaunty and sympathetic to the protagonists, this is an engaging introduction to the outlines of Odysseus's experiences in a dramatised format that would lend itself well to the classroom.

Odysseus does come across as an irritating sort of leader at points - but in the final section, he provides a satisfying comeuppance for all the rapacious suitors who've been harassing his wife. The relationship between Zeus and Athena is by turns amusing and touching, and there are some unexpectedly vivid characters, such as Queen Arete who is desperate to get Odysseus away from her family and consequently helps him on his way home.

Although in terms of poetic technique, theme and voice, I prefer Armitage's stand alone poetry, this is a fine addition to the poetic interpretations of Homer's great work. It is however, an entertainment rather than a full translation - if you're looking for that, Fagles would be your man, as Armitage himself acknowledges.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Quietly brilliant, 15 Dec 2007
By Jonathan Birch (Manchester) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
These days, The Odyssey is usually seen as more of an historical artefact than a work of fiction. Clunky translations tend to kill the drama and fail to capture why The Odyssey is still a classic after more than 2500 years. Armitage reinvigorates the tale by completely rewriting it in the form of a radio play. Surprisingly, Armitage plays it straight, writing very naturalistic dialogue and resisting the temptation to render everything in pompous poetry. A strange approach, you might think, for one of Britain's leading poets. But it works brilliantly.

In Armitage's version, the timeless themes of the story come in to sharp focus. The story exposes man's weakness when faced with the devastating power of temptation. But we also see the value of courage and loyalty in the face of insurmountable odds - not only from Odysseus, but also from Penelope, forced to wait to for him alone for twenty years. The Odyssey is in many ways a strikingly modern and human story, and that really comes through here. Armitage has put humanity into The Odyssey, allowing us to share Odysseus's pain and longing, as well as his famed cunning.

There's humour here, as well as intense drama, and the whole thing is beautifully readable, compulsive, concise and easy to follow. All the romance and excitement of the adventure and the tension of the decisive moments is captured here. It could nearly be a children's classic, but for a few cases of strong language and sexual references (it's a 12A rating, really). There's plenty for grownups to enjoy here though, regardless of whether or not you've read The Odyssey.
Comment Comments (2) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject











i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.