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Title details for The Odyssey, with eBook by Homer - Available

The Odyssey, with eBook

by Homer
Simon Prebble
Audiobook (Includes supplementary content)
2 of 2 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
2 of 2 copies available
Greek poet Homer established the standard for tales of epic quests and heroic journeys with the Odyssey. Crowded with characters, both human and nonhuman, and bursting with action, the Odyssey details the adventures of Ulysses, king of Ithaca and hero of the Trojan War, as he struggles to return to his home and his waiting, ever-faithful wife, Penelope.


Along the way Ulysses encounters the seductive Circe, who changes men into swine; the gorgeous water-nymph Calypso, who keeps him a "prisoner of love" for seven years; the terrible, one-eyed, man-eating giant Cyclops; and a host of other ogres, wizards, sirens, and gods. But when he finally reaches Ithaca after ten years of travel, his trials have only begun. There he must battle the scheming noblemen who, thinking him dead, have demanded that Penelope choose one of them to be her new husband—and Ithaca's new king.


Often called the "second work of Western literature" (the Iliad, also by Homer, being the first), the Odyssey is not only a rousing adventure drama but also a profound meditation on courage, loyalty, family, fate, and undying love. More than 3,000 years old, it was the first story to delineate carefully and exhaustively a single character arc—a narrative structure that serves as the foundation and heart of the modern novel.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 11, 2009

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781400192182
      • File size: 311183 KB
      • Duration: 10:48:17

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 830
    • Text Difficulty: 4-5

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 27, 2014
      British actor Stevens of Downton Abbey fame brings Homer’s epic poem to life with this well-executed reading of the classic tale of the Greek hero Odysseus and his 10-year journey home. When Odysseus is presumed dead after the Trojan War, his wife, Penelope, is awash with suitors looking to court her and in turn take over the land. While Penelope stalls the persistent suitors, her husband is cursed to wander the seas encountering all manner of mythical beings and even the gods, who all play their part in helping, or mostly hindering, the hero in his quest to find home. Stevens, with a cool, unmannered delivery, brings a modern vocal interpretation to his performance, making this ancient poem engaging to the modern ear and easy to listen to. With his relaxed reading, Stevens proves that this classic poem is definitely not some dry, dusty work of ancient history, but a vibrant exciting story that, like the best tales of adventure, works best when read aloud, as scholars contend it was intended. A Farrar, Straus and Giroux paperback.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Every library should own this wonderful translation of THE ODYSSEY. The introduction provides an overview of Greek verse and explains its rhythmic scheme. Rodney Merrill then launches into a performance that is as close as most listeners can get to hearing the poem in the original. Merrill's cadence is wonderful; he has a visceral understanding of how these lines are shaped for the ear, and he delivers them faithfully, with enthusiasm and love. He shifts tones occasionally to differentiate individual speakers but, for the most part, allows Homer's dominant voice to carry listeners on this mythic journey. G.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Years ago, when this reviewer was casting his own radio dramatization of THE ODYSSEY, he asked the classicists who were advising him how the narrator, who was to represent the voice of Homer, should sound. "Like the setting sun," they said cryptically. Your humble servant had no idea what they were talking about. Then. Now I know because Derek Jacobi does sound like the setting sun. And, in spite of some Briticisms that may jar American ears, Mandelbaum's translation wonderfully communicates the swift, simple, virile dignity of the original. The beauty, the drama--they come from the unhurried, masterful Jacobi. Isn't it fitting that the greatest living actor of the English-speaking world should spellbind listeners with the greatest yarn ever told? Y.R. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      That "man of twists and turns," the great Odysseus, is a fitting hero for modern contemplation. He is a powerful warrior, an adventurer, a man of honor and tenderness. He is a survivor. He is also a victim of fate, a trickster and a ruthless avenger. In Robert Fagles's masterful translation we have a fresh look at this old story. Fagles chose to preserve the iambic pentameter form which, as Ian McKellen presents it, is never singsong but always singing. The story dances quietly along, pulling the listener toward the inevitable cadence that concludes each book. It's a deeply satisfying experience to listen to McKellen's subtle, resonant voice weave the story. Cherish the images as the web of this great tale is woven before the eyes of the mind. L.R.S. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      The story of Odysseus's return from the Trojan War has been around for a very long time and is still read, sometimes under duress, in the original Greek or in translation to some modern language. It has lots of strange characters, lots of bloodshed, and a true superhero trying to get back home to a virtuous wife. What's not to like? John Lee reads Samuel Butler's translation very well. It's hard to maintain any suspense when Homer keeps telling you what's going to happen, but Lee fights the good fight. His pacing is excellent, improving on the momentum of the slowly developing story. His voice seems just right to recount the adventures of a man being led about by Zeus's daughter. R.E.K. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Homer's tale of the triumphant Odysseus and his long and treacherous journey home from war sets the stage for an epic audio experience. This abridgment concentrates on the highlights without removing the essential parts of the story. British actor Anton Lesser narrates with clarity and enthusiasm, demonstrating a mastery over Homer's poetic language. He inserts passion and vivacity into a strictly descriptive narrative that has little opportunity for vocal characterization. Lesser sometimes speaks a bit too quickly, hurrying the listener along, but he makes up for this with his strong voice and animated intonation. His grand, confident approach gives the listener an experience reminiscent of the oratory style of the ancient Greeks. T.D.M. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Urgent, poetically earthy, and extremely listenable, BBC Radio's full-cast dramatization of Odysseus's treacherous ten-year journey home to his wife and son is outstanding audio theater. Working from a specially commissioned adaptation by award-winning British poet Simon Armitage, the cast makes the gods sound all too human, the humans sound fully human, and the motivations of all the characters sound clear and credible. Poseidon, the god of the sea, seeks revenge for Odysseus's mutilation of his son, the Cyclops. Athena and her father, Zeus, play a high-stakes game with human pawns. And, as reflected in the soulful performances of Tim McInnerny and Amanda Redman, the returning soldier Odysseus and his wife miss each other terribly as he makes his way home from war. Presented as a fast-paced fantasy, the blind poet's tale remains an unsurpassed set piece of the Western World's age-old storytelling tradition. B.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2009 Audies Finalist (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      With his regal delivery and majestic sense of pacing, Dan Stevens is the ideal narrator for Homer's epic tale. The challenges that Odysseus encounters on his return home from war are as riveting as always--dangers and temptations and obstacles rear up without respite as his family awaits word of his safety. Stevens leaps into the text with apparent relish, enunciating Fitzgerald's fine and comprehensive translation with painstaking precision and infusing the story with life. While the performance is excellent and the text remains timeless, the recording is best appreciated in segments rather than long listening stretches. The grandiose style, while suited to the audio format, can become overwhelming after a while, not unlike Odysseus's journey did for the hero and his family. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      This is a listen for anyone who wants to hear an updated version of the classic work by Homer. It's also for fans of Claire Danes, who does a superb job narrating the much-praised translation by Emily Wilson. Danes brings a restrained but inviting enthusiasm to what could easily have been a dry, difficult reading. Wilson succeeds in staying true to Homer's story of the journey of Odysseus but without relying on language from a bygone era to convey a more authentic sense to the translation. Instead, with Danes's capable reading, this listen becomes an interesting history lesson, a literary exposition, and, perhaps most important of all, an engaging story that reveals why it has withstood the test of time. J.P.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 4, 1996
      Robert Fagles's 1990 translation of The Iliad was highly praised; here, he moves to The Odyssey. As in the previous work, he adroitly mixes contemporary language with the driving rhythms of the original. The first line reads: "Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns/ driven time and again off course once he had plundered/ the hallowed heights of Troy." Hellenic scholar Bernard Knox contributes extensive introductory commentary, providing both historical and literary perspective. Notes, a pronouncing glossary, genealogies, a bibliography and maps of Homer's world are included.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:830
  • Text Difficulty:4-5

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