Great ten list. I read The Odyssey with An Odyssey by Daniel Mendohlson together and it was like being in a classroom plus a touching father/son story to boot. Highly recommend the duo.
To read Homer is to recognize ourselves in our origins. It frames questions we have never stopped asking: who we are, what we owe, and where we belong.
Thanks, The Culturist, for sharing this beautiful post from The Ascent.
Years ago, in contemplating " Invitation to an Odyssey" (OK, The Illiad, attributed to the same author, Homer), the sudden insight came to me, that in these books, Homer tells us about the direct action of God , in the lives of men. This is spelled out again and again, where those who are portrayed as deities are involved not only in dynameis, but also in daily efforts on the battlefield.
Homer told us stories of God acting, +/- 1400 years ago, in life on earth.
Please, do NOT suffer the Nolan film, unless you wish for banging your head against the nearest wall! Even "Troy" with Brad Pitt, with all its bloopers (a shepherd herding llamas towards the gates of Troy?) is better.
Escape. Imagine the brass armours, the scarlet pennants, the gaily coloured shields from that part of the Bronze Age, not the funereal ones from the film, and plunge head first into a faithful rendition of the book - the latest translation employs poor vocabulary, like naming "slaves" all the servants, without their trades.
Thank you for your fascinating article and analysis! I read both the Iliad and the Odyssey. (I remember at a similar time to reading the much-loved Cosmos by Professor Carl Sagan.) Neither is a dry read - they are intricately woven stories - I loved the Homeric epithets, “rosy-fingered dawn,” “ thoughtful Telemachus,” and so on.
Thank you for sharing our article! The Odyssey is a life-changing read.
Fantastic piece! 🫡
Reason 11: Sir Ian McKellen reads the audiobook of the Penguin Classics edition. Enough said.
That is truly a selling point!!
Great ten list. I read The Odyssey with An Odyssey by Daniel Mendohlson together and it was like being in a classroom plus a touching father/son story to boot. Highly recommend the duo.
great read!! so excited to start the book and watch the film!
To read Homer is to recognize ourselves in our origins. It frames questions we have never stopped asking: who we are, what we owe, and where we belong.
Thanks, The Culturist, for sharing this beautiful post from The Ascent.
Years ago, in contemplating " Invitation to an Odyssey" (OK, The Illiad, attributed to the same author, Homer), the sudden insight came to me, that in these books, Homer tells us about the direct action of God , in the lives of men. This is spelled out again and again, where those who are portrayed as deities are involved not only in dynameis, but also in daily efforts on the battlefield.
Homer told us stories of God acting, +/- 1400 years ago, in life on earth.
Please, do NOT suffer the Nolan film, unless you wish for banging your head against the nearest wall! Even "Troy" with Brad Pitt, with all its bloopers (a shepherd herding llamas towards the gates of Troy?) is better.
Escape. Imagine the brass armours, the scarlet pennants, the gaily coloured shields from that part of the Bronze Age, not the funereal ones from the film, and plunge head first into a faithful rendition of the book - the latest translation employs poor vocabulary, like naming "slaves" all the servants, without their trades.
Thank you for your fascinating article and analysis! I read both the Iliad and the Odyssey. (I remember at a similar time to reading the much-loved Cosmos by Professor Carl Sagan.) Neither is a dry read - they are intricately woven stories - I loved the Homeric epithets, “rosy-fingered dawn,” “ thoughtful Telemachus,” and so on.