OSHER 743 - Homer's Odyssey

The 12,000-line Greek epic poem, The Odyssey, ascribed to Homer and composed around 2,700 years ago, remains so compelling that every decade witnesses new translations into many modern languages--15 in English just since 2000. The Odyssey is the story of a hero's 10-year struggle to return to his wife and home, and in sharp contrast to its companion epic, The Iliad, unfolds in a world fundamentally at peace--one in which women, both human and divine, play large and important roles. The instructor recommends the acclaimed 1996 verse translation of The Odyssey by Robert Fagles (also available as an unabridged audiobook, performed by Ian McKellen), but any translation is acceptable.