Literature's grandest evocation of life's journey at once an ageless human story & an individual test of moral endurance Homer's ancient Greek epic The Odyssey is translated by Robert Fagles with an introduction & notes by Bernard Knox in Penguin Classics When Robert Fagles' translation of The Iliad was published in 1990 critics & scholars alike hailed it as a masterpiece Here one of the great modern translators presents us with The Odyssey Homer's best-loved poem recounting Odysseus' wanderings after the Trojan War With wit & wile the 'man of twists & turns' meets the challenges of the sea-god Poseidon & monsters ranging from the many-headed Scylla to the cannibalistic Cyclops Polyphemus
- only to return after twenty years to a home besieged by his wife Penelope's suitors In the myths & legends retold in this immortal poem Fagles has captured the energy of Homer's original in a bold contemporary idiom 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 Robert Fagles' translation of The Iliad also available in Penguin Classics' Wonderfully readable Just the right blend of roughness & sophistication' Ted Hughes'A memorable achievement Mr Fagles has been remarkably successful in finding a style that is of our time & yet timeless' Richard Jenkyns The New York Times Book Review' His translation of The Odyssey is his best work yet' Garry Wills New Yorker