Odyssey

By: Homer, Stanley Lombardo - translator

Narrated by: Stanley Lombardo, Susan Sarandon - introduction

The Odyssey tells of the heroic journey of Odysseus after the Trojan war. In his attempt to return home to Ithaca, this ancient hero is faced with obstacle after obstacle, mythic creature after mythic creature. This is an epic poem encompassing an epic journey as famous as it is classic.

Translated and Narrated by Stanley Lombardo. Introduction by Susan Sarandon.

©2000 Hackett Publishing Company (P)2006 Parmenides Publishing

Critic reviews

"Stanley Lombardo provides a welcome translation, contemporary in its rhythms, assurance, and clarity....this version of the Greek classic sounds honest, intimate, and, most importantly, clear." ( AudioFile)

The author’s narration

The writing and narration come together to craft a thrilling experience. Well done to the interpreter for stepping in and delivering a solid performance!

Very good

Enjoyed the narration and translation very much. It is better to listen to Homer rather than read the translations on paper.

Great Translation, Easy on the Ears Too

What did you love best about Odyssey?

Mr. Lombardo's translation isn't poetic, but The Odyssey was originally an oral epic, meant to entertain and instruct the common man, (not the highbrows of the day). This translation is down to earth and easy to understand without losing any of Homer's dignity, so get ready for some swashbucking.

Any additional comments?

Sound quality is excellent for Audible, Ms. Sarandon gives a summary each chapter at its beginning, while sometimes unnecessary, this makes the story easy to follow. Mr. Lombardo does an excellent job reading his translation and speaks very clearly. Even though I'm a hardcore LOTR fan I still think that Lombardo's reading seems more natural than Sir Ian's reading of Fagles translation. Also the music in between chapters is nice and won't destroy your ears (like the audiobook for the Fagles translation) will.

Excellent*

An excellent translation and performance. The Susan Sarandon summaries are utterly unnecessary, but that is my only complaint about it.

Phenomenal Translation and Reading

Some translations make the classics die on the page. This one breaths them to life.

Great Narration

I had to read The Odyssey for a college course, and having an audio book alternative has been very helpful as I can "read" while driving or cooking. I really enjoyed this audiobook because the sound effects were fantastic! I could really put myself in the story.

Odyssey

Original heroic story. Thoroughly enjoyed it, this 2800 year old epic. Has bravery, sadness, victory, vengeance, all at the will of the gods.

Recommend Iliad and Arnold, which round out the story.

Stanley Lombardo's translation is excellent.

Stanley Lombardo's modern translation is excellent. I love Susan Sarandon's intro to each chapter. She's like a herald.

THIS is the way Homer was meant to be LISTENED to

I have many translations of Homer ...Fitzgerald, Fagles etc ... and have begun them all. Finished none. Something always bothered me. Finally realizing they seemed "contrived". Reading them also seemed ... wrong. Homer was spoken ...even performed. Yes it's all been said but ... I speaking Italian fluently and realize translating Italian poetry to English in the same meter with forced rhymes (English famously not as Poetic as Italian or Greek) is iffy at best. I am also a writer of poetry, music and musician. With Stanley Lombardo it sounds "natural." Unforced. And ...most importantly, natural, understandable and entertaining which were and are the first principles of any entertainer. With which Homer was certainly most concerned. Closing my eyes ...with a "wine dark glass with cut apples and pears" soaking in it and a good cigar) outside. THIS is as close to imagining Homer reciting. This is how life should be lived.

Earthy and immediate

I had just finished listening to Dan Stevens' remarkable reading of The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fitzgerald. But my Homer itch hadn't been fully scratched. For relief I turned to an old favorite - Stanley Lombardo reading his own translation of The Odyssey.

Lombardo's version is equally remarkable, but in a very different way. Where Fitzgerald is stately and heroic ("lift the great song again"), Lombardo is earthy and immediate. Lombardo developed his version originally for public performance, and his reading reflects that: it's brisk, rhythmic, and varied.

I don't read Greek, ancient or modern, and can't recommend one over the other in terms of accuracy. What I CAN say is that both are successful narrative poems in English, although they seem to be almost intentionally at opposite ends of the diction continuum.

One of the things I enjoy about the Lombardo recording is that Susan Sarandon provides a brief synopsis of each book beforehand. Another thing I like is the musical theme that plays as each episode begins. I've heard people complain about the fact that it's the same theme each time; but to my way of thinking, that's an asset. It serves to set the mood and it ties together the various parts of this extremely varied work of literature.