Over a month ago, I wrote about how I was dreading reading The Odyssey. Well, after reading the book, I realized I was wrong. I am willing to admit that I was wrong about this book. It isn't my favorite book that I've ever read, but it was much better than my original thoughts about it! Let's just say, for a book written about 3,000 years ago, it is still a good book today! The Odyssey is about a Greek warrior, named Odysseus. After the victory at Troy, he must get home to his house, which has been taken over by suitors, who are plundering his wealth, trying to marry his wife, and wanting to kill his son. Along the way home, Odysseus faces many challenges as the gods seem adamant about keeping him from getting home.
Descriptive language was probably the best element of this book. Homer did a great job describing what was going on in the book through descriptions, analogies, and other elements of literature. Though some of these descriptions were gory, they were effective in helping the reader understand what was going on in the text. Most of the chapters in this book were exciting since they were packed with dialogue, conflict, and a great plot. Another intriguing aspect of The Odyssey is the characters. What was interesting is that Homer created many characters that the reader didn't sympathize with. Even Odysseus, depending on who you ask, isn't a character that you sympathize with. This was a very intriguing and unique approach!
Not only was the book good, but the translation was also (sorry, I can't read Greek). There are endless translations of The Odyssey. The version I read was translated by Emily Wilson. While I haven't read any of the other translations, I will say that I was satisfied with this translation. There are two great aspects of this translation. First, it is very close to the original text. For example, it is written in iambic pentameter and has the exact same number of lines as the original text (the only translation to do so). At the same time, though, this translation is fairly easy to read. It is still a heavy and difficult text, but less so than I expected.
This wasn't my favorite book of all time, but it was better than I expected it to be and much better than I painted it in my 'books to-read' newsletter from a while back. I enjoyed the characters, the plot, and even the translation was great! This book should definitely be reserved for an older audience since it contains violence, sex, and other disturbing themes (14 and older is probably fine). Overall, this book was very important to the Greeks, and I think it still holds some value for us today! You can buy The Odyssey on Amazon.