The Odyssey

Audible Iliad & Odyssey, Book 2

De: Homer, Emily Wilson - translator

Narrado por: Claire Danes

Acclaimed actress Claire Danes burnishes an epic story of heroes, gods, and monsters in a groundbreaking translation of The Odyssey, the first great adventure story in the Western literary tradition. When the wily warrior-king Odysseus sets off for home after the Trojan War, he doesn’t realize this simple undertaking will become a perilous journey of 10 years. Beset at every turn, he encounters obstacles, detours, and temptations—both supernatural and human—while his wife Penelope fends off would-be suitors desperate to take the throne.

Emily Wilson is the first woman to take on the daunting task of translating over 100,000 lines of a three-millennium-old poem from Ancient Greek to modern-day English. Her breathtaking rendition captures the poetic immediacy of the original text, while allowing listeners to experience The Odyssey with an honesty and directness few other versions have achieved. The result is a lean, fleet-footed translation that recaptures Homer’s “nimble gallop” and brings an ancient epic to new life. A fascinating introduction provides an informative overview of the Bronze Age milieu that produced the epic, the major themes of the poem, the controversies about its origins, and the unparalleled scope of its impact and influence.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2018 Emily Wilson (translation), Adrian Kitzinger (maps copyright) (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

excellent translation, warm narration

it was very comfortable and pleasurable listening to this audiobook. I liked the colloquial modern English.

Modernised successfully

For the most part the choice to stick with a more modern and colloquial language works well. In certain passages the story flows beautifully. There are a few places where the modern constraint makes the story stumble just a little, but certainly not enough to detract from the wonderful achievement of this translation.

Note that there are about three hours worth of authors notes before the story itself begins. I found them worthwhile to listen to, but some may not.

Highly enjoyable, but lacking

I love the odyssey, and really enjoyed this translation. Unfortunately, the narrator’s monotone really slowed down the plot and killed the excitement of this epic. I couldn’t help but notice the odd way she pronounces “s” sounds and it was all I could hear.

Good Translation, monotonous performance.

What a great difference the narration makes between the Iliad and the Odyssey productions. In the former you feel as if you were in a party with some bard reciting with a lyre, following tbe metric. While in this one it feels read by a boted high school nerd teenager.

The best I’ve heard or read so far!

You must listen to the translators note first she explains in detail how she chose to translate the original poem. With that understanding I have not heard nor read the poem with better explanation. Truly a great listen, I started the book at work yesterday shut it off when I feel asleep and finished first thing in the morning.

Anthony

A great interpretation of a classic tale. I always loved when dawn appeared with rosey fingers.

awesome modern translation great reading.

loved it . Claire Danes is great. I had forgotten much of the story since reading it in highschool. The language in this translation made it much better to listen to.

Very enjoyable translation and Narrator

I enjoyed the thorough introduction. It gave the audience a chance to get to know the translator and take a few of her ideas through the read. The narrator was clear and enjoyable to listen to.

Well Done Contemporary Translation of the Odyssey

It's great to have a more contemporary version of this epic available today. Hopefully through it more young people will be introduced to this ancient classic. Scholars may grimace or chuckle at the choice of some words, but nothing is really lost in the retelling of the story. It just has a slightly different flavor.

Awesome and would recommend

I was surprised to enjoy this since it was assigned reading for a class. The story is good, the performance is well done, and it’s easy to follow. Overall I would say it is very entertaining!