After the fall of Troy, Odysseus embarks on a perilous journey home to Ithaca, facing monsters, gods, and temptation at every turn. His long voyage becomes a test of endurance, wisdom, and loyalty, while his wife Penelope and son Telemachus await his return. Rich in adventure and symbolism, Homer’s The Odyssey remains one of the greatest epic poems ever written, celebrating courage, resilience, and the enduring power of home.
Date: 8th century BC (Greece)
Length: ~416 pages (varies by edition)
Cultural impact: ~41.200.000 copies (estimates)
Genre: Poetry & Drama, Classics
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"A poem about the power of storytelling itself" — Emily Wilson, translator and classicist
"The first great adventure story in Western literature" — Robert Fagles, acclaimed translator of The Odyssey and The Iliad
"A poem of astonishing variety and unity" — T. S. Eliot, Nobel Prize-winning poet and critic
"The Odyssey is more than a story—it is an experience we return to endlessly" — Jorge Luis Borges, Argentine master of magical realism and short fiction
"An inexhaustible work at the center of the Western canon" — Harold Bloom, preeminent literary critic
"Endlessly influential... the foundation of storytelling traditions" — The New York Times
1 review
A piece of history, but very rudimentary and difficult to read. The real value, of course, is the journey back in time, into the imagination of an author from an ancient civilization. It's not a bad story, with plenty of fantasy, action, and adventure.
The best: The realization that there's nothing new under the sun. A piece of history. A trip 2,400 years into the past.
Reading: 7 Art: 4 Wisdom: 6 Author: 10 Total: 8 Read count: 1 / October 19, 2026
Reading: 7
Art: 4
Wisdom: 6
Author: 10
Total: 8
Read count: 1 / October 19, 2026*As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
