Book Review: The Odyssey by Homer

The Odyssey by Homer translated by Robert Fagles

The Odyssey is a cultural touchstone. So many images and stories have become omnipresent--the Cyclopes story, Scylla and Charybdis, the irresistible song of the Sirens, the beguiling witch Circe, the faithful and wily wife Penelope, and on and on. Going back to the source material always has benefits. The details can get hazy and need sharpening; there's a certain joy in rediscovery, like Odysseus's dog recognizing his master after twenty years of absence.

The basics of the story are familiar. Odysseus heads home after the Trojan War (chronicled in The Iliad, another classic for another time). The sea god Poseidon is set against Odysseus returning and sends all manner of trouble. Odysseus and his men get trapped on various islands facing various problems and temptations. The recurring obstacle is losing the desire to go home, which could happen when Circe turns the men into pigs or when the Sirens bring distraction to a whole new level. Odysseus, as clever as he is, is still true to his purpose and always weeps for the loss of Ithaca and Penelope. He moves on when he can, often at the intercession of the gods (especially Athena, who personally intervenes many times).

Penelope is beset by suitors who assume Odysseus is dead. They want nothing more than to feast on Odysseus's riches, to be abusive to the house staff and to Telemachus, Odysseus's son. When Telemachus searches of information about Odysseus's fate, the suitors plan to kill him. The troubles only end when Odysseus returns home in disguise (which doesn't fool his dog) and hatches a plan with the help of Athena and Telemachus to end the suitors' rapine.

The story has lasted for nearly three thousand years because the themes are timeless. Giving hospitality to strangers and treating others well is important to civilized society, a lesson we humans constantly need to relearn. Family is the bedrock for society--without it we can quickly descend into selfishness, isolation, and anarchy. The ancient Greeks grappled with these issues a long time ago; we still wrestle with them today.

There's a discussion of this story at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast. The first part of the discussion is here, the second part here.

Highly recommended.