Sir ian mckellans performance is clear, offering a stimulating interpretation without doing the police in voices. The poem is commonly dated to the 8th or 7th century bc, and many scholars believe it is the oldest extant work of literature in the greek language, making it the first work of european literature. The story begins when paris, son of priam, king of troy, carries off the beautiful helen, thereby. Download and keep this book for free with a 30 day trial. The 4 star rating in this case is only for the 2005 penguin audio audiobook edition of robert fagles 1996 translation of homers the odyssey. Macmillan audio is delighted to publish the first ever audio edition of this classic work, the greatest of all epic poems.
Ian mckellen, homer, robert fagles translator, penguin audio. A copy of the fagles translation might be a useful accompaniment, though its hard to imagine that a buyer of the audio version wouldnt already have it. The odyssey by homer robert fagles trans read by ian mckellen. Its scholarly, but not dense like books you were forced to read for a grade. During the class, we read from two of the most modern translations, this one from lattmore as well as robert fagles more recent translation. Crowded with characters, both human and nonhuman, and bursting with action, the epic tales detail the fabled trojan war and the adventures of odysseus as he struggles to return home. Book i athena inspires the prince sing to me of the man, muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of troy.
Jacobi also reads an abridged odyssey and if you are debating which to buy, do try to listen to both the mckellen and the abridged version. Robert fagless stunning modernverse translationavailable at last in our black spine classics line a penguin classic the odyssey is literatures grandest. Click here the chicago homeran exhaustive searchable database on the original greek and various. Marsh mccall who actually made it a fun and fascinating class. Its a great size, and the paperback has a nice texture that feels good to hold. If the iliad is the worlds greatest war epic, the odyssey is literatures grandest evocation of an everymans journey through life. There is the fagles translation, in modern free verse, is wonderful to read aloud. Both robert fagles translation and ian mckellens reading are superb. While mckellan is not slavishly faithful to fagles. In robert fagless masterful translation we have a fresh look at this old story.
Getting to the implied question in my title finally. Each has a distinctive badge, each comes with its own vocal dna, he says. This hour audio book, read by sir ian mckellen, is a wordforword, unabridged reading of fagles translation. He is also a victim of fate, a trickster and a ruthless avenger. Fagles was born in philadelphia, pennsylvania, the son of charles fagles, a lawyer, and vera voynow fagles, an architect. The fagles odyssey was on selected shorts once, and for a long time after i insisted that there was no other worthwhile contemporary translation of homer. The odyssey audiobook by homer, robert fagles translator. Robert fagles national endowment for the humanities neh.
The odyssey is one of the two major ancient greek epic poems the other being the iliad, attributed to the poet homer. I just completed a continuing studies course on the odyssey at stanford university conducted by the venerable dr. He was the recipient of the 1997 penralph manheim medal for translation and a 1996 award in literature from the american academy of arts and letters. Homers iliad winner of the 1991 harold morton landon translation award by. In the myths and legends that are retold here, the energy and poetry of homers original is captured in a bold, contemporary idiom, giving us an edition of the odyssey that is a joy to listen to, worth savoring and treasuring for its sheer lyrical mastery this audiobook is sure to delight both the classicist. The odyssey audiobook homer, robert fagles translator. Sing to me of the man, muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of troy. Literatures grandest evocation of lifes journey, at once an ageless human story and an individual test of moral endurance, homers ancient greek epic the odyssey is translated by robert fagles with an introduction and notes by bernard knox in penguin classics when robert fagles translation of the iliad was published in 1990, critics and scholars alike hailed it as a masterpiece. He attended amherst college, graduating in 1955 with a bachelor of arts degree. People who liked the odyssey also liked these free titles. It would be a disaster, monet and cost no justification the kindle cost is a giveaway.
The iliad, together with the odyssey, is one of two ancient greek epic poems traditionally attributed to homer. The result, the winner of the 1991 academy of american poets landon translation award, is a wonderfully accessible iliad that preserves every nuance of homers genius. The odyssey translated by robert fagles introduction and notes by bernard knox isbn. Its not the entire story, its an abridged version, but still worth it. The ancients believed it was a bard called homer, although they disagreed about biographical details. Listen to the odyssey audiobook by homer, robert fagles translator, narrated by ian mckellen. His translations of both the iliad and odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and have become the standard translations of our era. Composed in twentyfour books of greek hexameter poetry, it. The publication of a new translation by fagles is a literary event. I couldnt decide which i preferred and often found myself rereading chapters to figure it out. The iliad audiobook by homer, robert fagles translator. Thankfully, prior to his current death, fagles also translated virgils aeneid. Robert fagles, whose acclaimed translations of homers iliad and odyssey were welcomed as major publishing events, brings the aeneid to a new generation of readers, retaining all of the gravitas and humanity of the original latin as well as its powerful blend of poetry and myth.
The identity of the composer of the odyssey and the iliad is a matter of some speculation. Written by homer, robert fagles translator, narrated by ian mckellen. Robert fitzgeralds translation of the odyssey has been the standard translation for more than three generations of students and poets. The aeneid audiobook written by virgil, robert fagles.
Homer the odyssey audio, cassette unabridged, audiobook. Everything he did involved the translation not only from one language to another but from the sensibility of one artist to another. It was commonly thought that he lived on chios, an isl. As in the previous work, he adroitly mixes contemporary language with the driving rhythms of the origin. Buy the odyssey penguin classics new ed by homer, bernard knox, robert fagles isbn. However, at about five hours in, the recording began to exhibit technical glitches related to. Robert fagles translation is easy to read for nonscholars. We will be going through the entire book, so sit tight, crack open your classical literature, and lets explore and enjoy together. Full audiobook of homers the odyssey, translated by robert fagles, and read by ian mckellen. This is not a reflection on fagles translation or ian mckellens narration which are both 5 stars. Marks 19 professor of comparative literature, emeritus, at princeton university.
That man of twists and turns, the great odysseus, is a fitting hero for modern contemplation. Internet archive bookreader homerthe odyssey fagles. The result, the winner of the 1991 academy of american poets landon translation award, is a wonderfully accessible iliad that preserves. In this brilliant translation, robert fagles brings the vigor of contemporary language to homers 2,700yearold tale. The odyssey translated by robert fagles is assigned reading for ancient history and literature. The iliad audiobook homer, robert fagles translator. Oedipus the king, by sophocles, fagles politics and. I wanted it to be in my voice, for better or worse. In the myths and legends that are retold here, the energy and poetry of homers original is captured in a bold, contemporary idiom, giving us an edition of the odyssey th. Here is the muchanticipated new translation of virgils epic poem from the awardwinning translator robert fagles. The poem is commonly dated to between 800 and 600 bc. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
The odyssey is literatures grandest evocation of every mans journey through life. The poem is, in part, a sequel to the iliad, and concerns the events that befall the greek hero odysseus in his long journey back to his native land ithaca after the fall. When i first began reading the odyssey, i shuttled between robert fitzgeralds translation and robert fagles. In robert fagles s masterful translation we have a fresh look at this old story. Homer the odyssey robert fagles translation full audiobook. The iliad, by homer full audiobook homers iliad is the first great work of western literature. Robert fagles s 1990 translation of the iliad was highly praised. Fagles chose to preserve the iambic pentameter form which, as ian mckellen presents it, is never singsong but always singing. Robert fagless stunning modernverse translationavailable at last in our blackspine classics line a penguin classic the odyssey is literatures grandest. Similar accolades greeted the publication by viking of fagles longawaited and brilliant verse translation of the odyssey, the favorite epic.
When robert fagles translation of the iliad was published in 1990, critics and scholars alike hailed it as a masterpiece. This recording of the robert fagles translation of the odyssey, while enjoyable in itself, provides a wonderful partner for the text. Digital pdf of the best translation of the odyssey by robert fagles, which well read in class. The chief characteristic of robert fagles s career was his ability to enter fully into the mind of another artist. Homers bestloved poem, recounting odysseus wanderings after the trojan war. It has to do with the tone of voice of the translator. The ancient greek poet homer established the gold standard for heroic quests and sweeping journeys with his pair of classic epic poems, the iliad and the odyssey. Every translation is different, says classicist robert fagles.