The Odyssey

To render an ancient Greek text with its richly nuanced meanings and musical, rhythmic cadences in clear, accessible contemporary language without losing the effect of the original is an admirable achievement, exemplified by Ian Johnston’s translation of Homer’s Odyssey. From the opening invocation of the goddess of poetry—“Muse, speak to me now of that resourceful man / who wandered far and wide after ravaging / the sacred citadel of Troy”—to Odysseus’s meeting with the princess, Nausicaa—“He emerged, moving just like / a mountain lion which relies on its own strength--/ . . . its two eyes burning, coming in among the herd/ of sheep or cattle, or stalking a wild deer . . .”—to his narrative of the Underworld—“Then out of Erebus came swarming up/ shades of the dead—brides, young unmarried men, / old ones worn out with toil, young tender girls, /. . . and many men /wounded by bronze spears, who’d died in war”—to the hero’s arduous adventures taking them between the cavernous whirlpool Charybdis and the monster preying on his crew from the opposing cliffs—“Then, in the entrance of her cave, Scylla/ devoured the men, who still kept screaming, /stretching out their arms in my direction, / as they met their painful deaths”— and finally to his homecoming distinguished by his performance in the famous contest—“just as someone really skilled / at playing the lyre and singing has no trouble/ when he loops a string around a brand new peg, / . . . that’s how easily Odysseus strung that great bow. / Holding it in his right hand, he tried the string. / It sang out, resonating like a swallow’s song”—Johnson brings the dactylic rhythms, vivid imagery, elaborate similes, colorful characters, sheer adventure, and exquisite artistry of Homer’s text alive for contemporary students.

— Daniel R White Professor of Philosophy Honors College Florida Atlantic University

Ian Johnston has pulled it off: at last we have an Odyssey in English which is as natural, direct, and straightforward as the original Greek but which loses nothing of Homer's music. A model translation, ideal for students and lovers of poetry alike -- this is an Odyssey which sings.

— Professor Jack Mitchell Department of Classics College of the Holy Cross

The translation remains very close to Homer’s text, yet the modern English idiom is extremely fluent and clear, with a rhythm well suited to the speaking voice. It’s no accident that this translation has formed the basis for dramatic presentations of the Iliad in Philadelphia and Oxford and was chosen by Naxos Audiobooks for its full-length recording of the poem.

I am a pre-service teacher in California. As I was doing my fieldwork I came across the Ian Johnston translation of “The Odyssey,” which I then showed to my master teacher. He liked the translation so much that he wants to use it exclusively in his classes. When I get my own classroom, I plan to always use the Ian Johnson translation of any text that is available. These texts are far superior for the secondary classroom setting and I am so excited that I found them. I just wanted to say thank you for making available such a useful classroom tool.

— California

Hello. I'm a student at the University of Illinois - Chicago and am a big fan of your work. I strangely find myself coming back again and again to your work... leaving each time with a satisfying reading experience. As I'm sure you are acutely aware, your work has a certain pristine quality to it that other translations fall short of. The clarity of your expression (and the accuracy too) is quite remarkable. I've long been a fan of your translation of the Iliad---now that the Odyssey's here.

I have read the first chapter of your translation of The Iliad ... and was so pleased that I will be ordering this as well your version of The Odyssey. I have a copy of the Iliad translated by Samuel Butler, which I attempted to read for the first time after my 8 year old son read Mary Pope Osborne's rendition of The Odyssey, but I did not have the same success he had. I think I'll be more successful with your translation

— Toronto)

I discovered your Iliad and Odyssey texts ... three years ago, and have used them ever since for my grade 9 gifted students in a high school program. . . . Like many of your other admirers, I really like your translation.

— Toronto

I have very much enjoyed reading your Homer translations – I really enjoy the easy fluidity of your style!

— Harrisburg, NC

I heard your translation of Homer on NPR recently and was impressed by the clarity and readability of your language. I am an English teacher in Connecticut and am always trying to introduce students to more Homer.

— Waterford, CT

Thank you so much for bringing Homer's works to life in a way that I and I'm sure thousands of others will love.

— Kansas

I really liked your translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey. Would you mind if I used them in the lesson as course books?

— Uzbekistan

I really enjoy your translations and after skimming some other versions of Homer's stories, I found that your translations were the best. I would really like to compliment you on that.

— Rhode Island

I'm currently a sophomore in high school, and I studied the Iliad and Odyssey last year as a freshman. Now, I'm a third year Latin student, and while researching an essay on similarities between the Aeneid and Homer I came upon your translations of the Iliad and Odyssey. Especially for the Aeneid, the only English copies of ancient texts are translations almost as ancient, which are hardly a help when doing research. Your translations of the Homer, however, are easily understandable and have an excellent poetic flow as well. I ended up liking your translations so much that I used them instead of the other modern translations I had read last year.

I am a visiting assistant professor at the Washington University in St. Louis, MO, ... I am teaching Homer this semester, and I often turn to it to understand better the ancient text. It is a wonderfully written piece of work, and I wanted to give you the satisfaction that your labors have benefited a colleague as well as a new generation of young classicists. Warm regards,

— Eleni M.

I am a pre-service teacher in California. As I was doing my fieldwork I came across the Ian Johnston translation of “The Odyssey,” which I then showed to my master teacher. He liked the translation so much that he wants to use it exclusively in his classes. When I get my own classroom, I plan to always use the Ian Johnson translation of any text that is available. These texts are far superior for the secondary classroom setting and I am so excited that I found them. I just wanted to say thank you for making available such a useful classroom tool. (California)

— Jaime A.