Ancient pop culture

I can understand why The Odyssey has been so popular through the ages. It really shows you that humans have always had an appetite for adventure stories, and that The Odyssey has clearly been a massive influence on popular culture, poetry, and literature since forever.

Claire Danes did a great job, delivering the right amount of emotion, and her voice was easy to listen to.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

An epic will always be an epic!

This is my fourth go through The Odyssey. The first, a children's adaptation when I was 7 or 8 hooked me to this grand story. Emily Wilson's translation is a wonderfully accessible one and an excellent addition to the myriad versions of Homer's epic. Clare Danes narration is spot on. If one is to read/listen to The Odyssey, this version is highly recommended.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

Incredibly Fresh and Accessible

I love the approach Emily Wilson took to her translation of The Odyssey. It was very easy to get into and felt like a very honest and faithful translation while being modern enough for a casual reader to engage with.

Claire Danes did a phenomenal job with the rhythm of the work. I don't know enough Greek to know how her pronunciations were, but they felt acceptable and were, at the very least, consistent.

I'd love to hear more of Emily Wilson's work read by Claire Danes.

if you have even a passing interest in Greek mythology or Western literature, do yourself a favour and give this a go.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great simpler translation and amazing narration

Not that I am against more elaborated translations but this is a good simple one. I read an archaic translation of The Iliad and enjoyed it and also liked this one.

Changing the wording to represent today’s values is a risky thing but it is worth taking.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Engaging

Wilson’s translation is easy to follow and understand. It is now my favourite version, and I’ve read/listened to several.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

A classic for a reason

Yet another of the 100 book you should read before you die. Truly a classic for a reason. the Odyssey is one of the olded stories for antiquity. looking into a brutal world and the great thief and trickter who help Troy fall. Honestly and epic filled with God's, heroes, and villain.
if you have never read this book, it is truly worth while

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great story, Clair Danes is also a great Narrator

It was a great book to listen to, I recommend listening to the long 3 hr intro, it gives you great info and knowledge to begin your story.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

Skip the intro

Regardless of how you may feel about the idea of a translation of this ancient classic into modern English, this one was well done and yielded a surprisingly fast paced romp.
The intro however, is another story. A poorly thought, twisted opinion piece that takes away much of the pleasure of listening to the audiobook.
Claire Danes’ voice also becomes grating after about 15 minutes - and I do like her as an actress.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great Introduction by author of this tranalation

I hadn't realized there was an intro by the Author of this translation included at the beginning when I first ordered it. This into really set the stage for better understanding the story. Also, the language in this translation is current English and therefore allows the audience to relax and focus on the flow of the story, the characters, and their adventures.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A compelling, modern translation

This is Homer like you've never experienced before. I had previously read portions of The Odyssey in an introductory classics course on Greek mythology. These translations were stuffy, lofty, and often difficult to understand. This translation, by contrast, was accessible and exciting. I have no knowledge of Greek so I can't speak to its accuracy, but I can certainly speak to its effectiveness as English verse for the modern-day reader. When I was contemplating purchasing this title, I was worried that the translation would be too modern or diverge too significantly from the intent or style of the original, but Emily Wilson safely navigated the Scylla and Charybdis (as she put it in her Translator's Notes) between slang and the arcane.

This edition includes about 3 hours of prefatory material, which as an academic (though not in classics), I really enjoyed and felt enhanced my experience of the narrative. Currently, I'm relistening to that material again now that I've finished the story. These essays are written in an accessible style, like the translation itself, and helped me understand The Odyssey in its historical context and have a much richer experience than if I had listened to the story on its own.

Claire Danes, or really any woman, might seem an unusual choice for such a story, given that Homer was almost certainly a man or several men, and the narrative is mostly told from the perspectives of the men in the story. Wilson's Translator's Note will make it clear why Audible Studios made this choice. This is one of the only (if not they only) translation of The Odyssey by a woman. Wilson's prefatory materials focus on the experience of women and its representation of women is one of the biggest differences between this translation and previous ones, aside from the lack of archaic language. Claire Danes was an ideal choice as narrator of Wilson's translation.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful