
Homer's The Odyssey is an epic that has endured for thousands of years & this Penguin Classics edition is translated by EV Rieu revised by DCH Rieu & contains an introduction by Peter Jones The epic tale of Odysseus & his ten-year journey home after the Trojan war forms one of the earliest & greatest works of Western literature Confronted by natural & supernatural threats
- from the witch Circe who turns his men into pigs to the twin terrors of Scylla & Charybdis; from the stupefied Lotus-Eaters to the implacable enmity of the sea-god Poseidon himself
- Odysseus must test his bravery & native cunning to the full if he is to reach his homeland safely But the danger is no less severe in his native Ithaca as Odysseus finds himself contending with the suitors who in his absence have begun to surround his wife Penelope EV Rieu's translation of The Odyssey was the first Penguin Classic to be published & has itself achieved classic status For this edition Rieu's text has been sensitively revised & a new introduction added to complement his original introduction Seven greek cities claim the honour of being the birthplace of Homer (c 8th-7th century BC) the poet to whom the composition of the Iliad & Odyssey are attributed The Iliad is the oldest surviving work of Western literature but the identity
- or even the existence
- of Homer himself is a complete mystery with no reliable biographical information having survived If you enjoyed The Odyssey you might like Homer's The Iliad also available in Penguin Classics ' One of the world's most vital tales The Odyssey remains central to literature' Malcolm Bradbury