Odyssey

Rating:
Summary: many unique virtues, and surprisingly poetic
Review: From a Homer reader who has read Pope and Chapman and a half dozen or so of the various 19th and 20th century translations I state unequivocally that Lombardo's translation of Homer's Odyssey (and Iliad for that matter) is in a category to itself. I state this, by the way, not as a revelation of how a simple translation can open up this epic, but as a revelation of how specifically Lombardo's simple translation has opened up this great epic. There are many virtues in this translation (one being that, despite the colloquialness and simplicity (or street level) of approach, it is really very 'sneaky poetic' in ways that suprise, such as descriptions of beauty and strength and high emotion and understanding and nature that one comes across so often in Homer's epics); a cenral virtue of Lombardo though is he is able to describe and carry the actual story of the poem in a really actually revelatory way (when other reviewers mention 'screenplay' or well-crafted genre type novel it is very much on-the-mark). This comes across more strikingly in his Iliad translation (simply because the Odyssey is more novel-like to begin with), but also in the Odyssey as well. I would even go so far as to say that if you were to make a list of three great English translations of Homer, representing ascending levels of difficulty and poetry, I would choose: Level 1 - Lombardo; Level 2: Pope; Level 3 - Chapman. One final note: Lombardo apparently spent many years reciting Homer for live audiences, and I suspect, speaking with just a 'little' poetic license, that the Muse might have been attendant upon him in his efforts to translate as a reward for his dedication.

Rating:
Summary: Open Your Heart to the Classics!
Review: I am new to reading the whole Odyssey. In school I read passages and sections, but I have to confess it left me with no desire to pick this up and read it! This edition sets you on your ear. It reads like a screenplay, it moves, you cry, you laugh, you FEEL this story as I am sure it is meant to be. Thank you so much Mr. Lombardo!!!!!!!! I am reading the Iliad next, and now that I feel the story in my heart, I am ready to tackle some of the more complex versions. There is nothing unsatisfying about this edition. I hope that potential readers won't feel as though this is simplified or dumbed down. Not at all. I read Austen, Scott and Conrad with ease, but tackling the Odyssey left me cold. Don't miss out on this beautifully rendered version.

Rating:
Summary: Home sweet home
Review: I became familiar with Stanley Lombardo's work after reading his translation of the Iliad, so when I saw that he also had a translation of the Odyssey available, I eagerly went out and bought a copy. As in his Iliad translation, one encounters the same trademark modern-day colloquial style that, depending on the type of person you are, you will either enjoy or hate. I happen to love it, and I also applaud the choice of cover design for the book, since it suggests not only the nature of the story, but of the translation as well.

Whereas Lombardo's Iliad was full of adrenaline and very energetic, I thought that his version of the Odyssey was definitely more calm and introspective, focusing on Odysseus' personal anguish and quest for retribution. It was easier for me to identify with the world of ordinary humans (and their feelings) described in the Odyssey, than with the world of godlike men and mindless warfare and violence described in the wide-ranging Iliad. For this and other reasons, I consider the Odyssey to be the superior work. As in his previous translation of the Iliad, Lombardo drops the use of dactylic hexameter in the present work and treats the use of similes and epithets in a special manner - all in an effort to minimize the problems encountered in translating from the original Greek to English.

It has already been suggested that Lombardo's translation would be an excellent starting point for both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and I wholeheartedly agree. His translations may not be the only versions you'll want to have on your bookshelf, but they would definitely be ones to have in your collection.

Rating:
Summary: A worthy, or maybe superior successor.
Review: Like Lombardo's translation of the Iliad, the Odyssey is a pleasure to read. The characters jump out and the plot moves at a good clip. I frequently have the feeling that the Odyssey was actually written in English as Lombardo has translated it, received directly from the Muses. All I can do is thank him for giving me Homer!

Rating:
Summary: Open Your Heart to the Classics!
Review: Most everybody knows about the Odyssey of Homer (the story and all that), so this review is about this particular translation by Stanley Lombardo. You have the classic English verse translations (Chapman, Pope, Cowper) and the classic prose translations (Butcher and Lang, Palmer), then you have the twentieth century crowd (Lattimore, Fitzgerald, Mandelbaum, Fagles, Rieu, Rouse, Shewring etc...) Some of these are verse and some prose, some literal and some poetic. Some are easy to read and some more difficult. Lombardo's translation of the Iliad and the Odyssey are somewhat unusual in that they are both verse and very clear and easy to read. Very much modern-day speech. Not that Fagles or Fitzgerald or Mandelbaum, for instance, (all verse translations) are difficult to read, but Lombardo's verse translation is really in a different category. His translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey sort of stand alone in their simple style and may be worth reading for that reason alone. I think also there is an unselfconsciousness in Lombardo's effort - and attitude - as well as a "very well then hang me, devils" confidence that comes through. Fresh, quick, engaging, spare, alive (typical words used by professional/academic reviewers for this translation...) An interesting touch by Lombardo is whenever Homer goes into one of his celebrated similes or metaphors Lombardo puts them into italics and sets them apart in the text. There are more of these in the Iliad than the Odyssey, but it is interesting to read them separate this way. He uses very much 'man on the street' expressions, and his verse reads very quickly, or, 'lightly' like a clear stream flowing easily over stones. I don't want to give the impression these are simplified versions of Homer's epics. They are real, unabridged translations. Serious translations, and though they are relatively new they seem to occupy a unique position in the gallery of English translations of Homer. They are worth aquiring for their uniqueness alone if you have the usual abiding interest and curiosity in new translations of Homer that most people develope who are drawn to these two epic poems.

Rating:
Summary: 5 stars for being unique and comfortable in its own skin.
Review: Most everybody knows about the Odyssey of Homer (the story and all that), so this review is about this particular translation by Stanley Lombardo. You have the classic English verse translations (Chapman, Pope, Cowper) and the classic prose translations (Butcher and Lang, Palmer), then you have the twentieth century crowd (Lattimore, Fitzgerald, Mandelbaum, Fagles, Rieu, Rouse, Shewring etc...) Some of these are verse and some prose, some literal and some poetic. Some are easy to read and some more difficult. Lombardo's translation of the Iliad and the Odyssey are somewhat unusual in that they are both verse and very clear and easy to read. Very much modern-day speech. Not that Fagles or Fitzgerald or Mandelbaum, for instance, (all verse translations) are difficult to read, but Lombardo's verse translation is really in a different category. His translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey sort of stand alone in their simple style and may be worth reading for that reason alone. I think also there is an unselfconsciousness in Lombardo's effort - and attitude - as well as a "very well then hang me, devils" confidence that comes through. Fresh, quick, engaging, spare, alive (typical words used by professional/academic reviewers for this translation...) An interesting touch by Lombardo is whenever Homer goes into one of his celebrated similes or metaphors Lombardo puts them into italics and sets them apart in the text. There are more of these in the Iliad than the Odyssey, but it is interesting to read them separate this way. He uses very much 'man on the street' expressions, and his verse reads very quickly, or, 'lightly' like a clear stream flowing easily over stones. I don't want to give the impression these are simplified versions of Homer's epics. They are real, unabridged translations. Serious translations, and though they are relatively new they seem to occupy a unique position in the gallery of English translations of Homer. They are worth aquiring for their uniqueness alone if you have the usual abiding interest and curiosity in new translations of Homer that most people develope who are drawn to these two epic poems.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly translated and beautifully written
Review: Stanley Lombardo captured every great moment of The Odyssey, leaving nothing behind, and making it so easy to read! I had to buy this book for a literature class, and I didn't have the same version as everyone else, but I noticed it was even better than theirs and the professor said their version was easily readable. It's not exactly written in prose, but it reads like prose. I wanted to get the Iliad after reading this, to find out the previous book, and I had to get Lombardo's translation, or it just wouldn't be the same. Haven't read it yet, but The Odyssey is a wonderful story, and this version is so easy to read.

Rating:
Summary: A very good translation
Review: This quarter, I decided to focus on Homer. I took two classes concentrating on him, one where we read the Greek text of the Odyssey, and the other where we read both the Iliad and the Odyssey. I was a little sceptic about the Lombardo translation to begin with, especially because I already owned the Lattimore translations. After reading Lombardo, though, I realize how great a translator he is compared to Lattimore. Lattimore gives a more direct translation, but his choice of words conveys the "classic" portion of Homer a bit too well. Lombardo, on the other had, uses colloquial speech when translating. Usually, that is not a great quality, but it seriously works with the Odyssey. Both Homeric epic poems are orally composed, and Lombardo's translation conveys the casualness of the words. The Odyssey shouldn't be considered an old archaic boring text, because it isn't... I feel that Lombardo is a great translator and should be used more in high school readings of Homer and for first time readers of these texts.

Rating:
Summary: A very good translation
Review: This quarter, I decided to focus on Homer. I took two classes concentrating on him, one where we read the Greek text of the Odyssey, and the other where we read both the Iliad and the Odyssey. I was a little sceptic about the Lombardo translation to begin with, especially because I already owned the Lattimore translations. After reading Lombardo, though, I realize how great a translator he is compared to Lattimore. Lattimore gives a more direct translation, but his choice of words conveys the "classic" portion of Homer a bit too well. Lombardo, on the other had, uses colloquial speech when translating. Usually, that is not a great quality, but it seriously works with the Odyssey. Both Homeric epic poems are orally composed, and Lombardo's translation conveys the casualness of the words. The Odyssey shouldn't be considered an old archaic boring text, because it isn't... I feel that Lombardo is a great translator and should be used more in high school readings of Homer and for first time readers of these texts.