Books to Read Poster No 54

 

Yes, Homer's Odyssey. I read it in the much praised recent translation by Emily Wilson. I hadn't read it before end to end, in fact I doubt I'd read any of it, just knew quite  a lot of the story. 

What can I say? A founding text of western European literature; I'm hardly going to say it's rubbish am I? Not that I thought it was. I think I'd possibly have preferred a prose translation to Wilson's insistent iambic pentameter which I'm sure is very skilful but often didn't work for me. I did find that it got a lot more interesting once Odysseus reached Ithaca. I also found Odysseus rather repellent, but I perfectly understand that's an anachronistic view and  that he displays many of the characteristics that the original audiences would have found heroic and exemplary. I defy anyone not to come away with the impression that Telemachus is a spoiled, sulky and entitled brat who should have had a more disciplined upbringing. 

I was very surprised by the ending because it just stops. Apparently this has been the subject of much discussion amongst scholars (who knew, not me); possibly there was lots more and the stories that follow have all been lost. 

I'm glad I've read it, and although I don't see myself rushing to read it again - still another 46 books on that poster to go apart from anything else -  but I can see myself reading books about it. Which is often a lot more interesting than reading an original text.