The Odyssey

IntroductionとTranslator's Noteだけで91ページを割いており、これを読むだけでも十分満足できる内容でした。流石Emily Wilsonの力量を感じます。

日本の高校生でも読めるような英語で書かれている。日本人にも読みやすい。逆に言うと味気ない文体かもしれない。ヨーロッパの原型がわかるような物語である。

Amazonのデータベース上のありとあらゆる "The Odyssey" が一緒くたになって表示されるようですが、私のレビューは、2018年11月発売の Emily Wilson 英訳、Claire Danes 朗読のAudible版に対するものです。 車通勤のお供にAudible版を購入。各方面で評価の高い Emily Wilson の新訳に、人気女優 Claire Danes のナレーションという豪華版。舞台の地図、各歌(Book)のサマリ、主として人名を解説したグロッサリを載せたコンパニオンPDFファイル添付も嬉しい配慮です。冒頭、翻訳にあたっての訳者の解説も充実しています。 英訳テキスト自体の巧拙まで評価できる私の英語力ではありませんが、少なくとも日本人にでも付いていきやすい自然で簡潔な英訳だと思います。Claire Danesは「中堅」と括るにはまだ若い年齢ながら華々しい受賞歴を誇る名優であり、朗読テクニックも確かで、なんと知的な俳優さんだろうかと感銘を受けました。 満点でないのは、上述の感銘を受けたにせよ、別のナレーターの方が私の好みに合っていたかもしれないと感じたからです。要因は、まず主たる登場人物が男性であること。彼らの「セリフ」が女性らしい声で読まれるのをずっと聞いていると、微妙な違和感を拭えなくなるのです（あくまで彼女自身のキャラクターで自然に読まれています。宝塚歌劇的な「男らしさ」の演技はありません。それがあったらもっとキツかったと思います）。もう一つは声質そのものです。彼女の声は、それが魅力ではありますが、ちょっとハスキーで細かいビブラートがかかっていて、言ってみれば「泣き」が似合う声だと思うのです。かなり長い解説を聞いたあと、いよいよ出だしの”Tell me,..”で早くも「あ、なんだか悲しい」という気持ちにさせられて（そこはさすがと言わざるを得ないのですが）、その気分がずっと続く、というよりだんだん高まっていくのです。もちろんオデュッセイア自体が明るく楽しい進行になる訳もないのですが、それにしても気持ちが疲れて、これは男の俳優さんに、淡々と読んでもらえたほうがより聞きやすかったかなと。

The quality of product was bad, the paper cut is very bad, more like a tear than a cut.

Lo estoy leyendo actualmente y me parece formidable. La traducción de Emily Wilson es muy buena y amena.

A new translation that goes back to the original text. It drops some of the sanitized translations, which among other things called household slaves “servant”. It also shows Odysseus as both heroic and a schemer, again something sanitized in earlier translations. I specially like that it maintains the poetic structure rather than turning it into text and storytelling. Well done. Funny observation: in many areas this reads like a 2000 year old version of the “Game of Thrones”.

The pages are not cut correctly. This is not a printing error, but it’s deliberately designed that way.

The Odyssey by Homer (Emily Wilson - Translator) - The original 'guy just trying to get home' story. Long before the basic understanding of geography, Odysseus decided to take the world’s most scenic route back to Ithaca after the Trojan War. You would think winning a war would earn him a direct ship home, but no. Instead, he gets cursed by a sea god, seduced by immortals, and stuck in what can only be described as a decade-long episode of Squid Games. Odysseus himself is a curious mix of action hero, con artist, as well as a crybaby who keeps making questionable decisions. One moment he is blinding a Cyclops with a burning stick like an absolute legend, and the next he is weeping on a beach while a goddess provides him food. He tells lies like it is an Olympic sport. But you cannot help but root for him, because who among us has not wanted to stab a giant, eat free food, and avoid responsibility for several years? While Odysseus is out there dodging sea monsters and sleeping with goddesses, Penelope is running his household, raising a kid, and fending off suitors with nothing but her wits and an unfinished tapestry. Telemachus, their son is sailing around the Mediterranean and searching for news of his father. The gods in this story are basically just a bunch of petty busybodies. Athena's constantly popping up to give Odysseus cryptic advice, while Poseidon is just throwing tantrums like a toddler who did not get what he wanted. By the end, everyone is either dead or redeemed, and Odysseus finally gets to sit down at his own dinner table again - with fewer worries and more wine. The Odyssey is a wild, weird and often hilarious adventure, full of wisdom, improbable detours, hubris, magical creatures, and why you should never open mysterious wind bags. It is a reminder that even heroes have their flaws, and sometimes, the best journey is the one that ends with a decent meal and a good night's sleep.

I picked up Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey in hardcover, and it ended up being one of the most unexpectedly engaging reading experiences I’ve had with a classic. What stands out immediately is the clarity. This version reads clean and direct without feeling stripped down or overly modernized. Wilson doesn’t try to imitate archaic English, but she also doesn’t flatten the poetry. The language has rhythm, momentum, and intention. You feel the story moving forward, which matters a lot for a narrative built on journeys, delays, and returns. The pacing is noticeably sharper than in other translations I’ve tried. Scenes that can feel dense or repetitive elsewhere—especially the wanderings or the court scenes—come through with tension and purpose. Odysseus feels less like a distant mythic figure and more like a complicated, sometimes frustrating human being. The same goes for Penelope, who comes across as far more perceptive and controlled than in many older versions. One thing I appreciated was how Wilson handles tone. She doesn’t romanticize everything. There’s a groundedness to the violence, the power dynamics, and the treatment of servants and women that feels more honest to the world the poem is coming from. It doesn’t feel like the text is being “cleaned up” or softened. Physically, the hardcover itself is well made. It has a solid weight, the binding feels durable, and the layout is easy on the eyes. The lines are spaced in a way that supports the flow of the verse rather than making it feel cramped or academic. If you’ve struggled to get through The Odyssey before, this is probably the version that will change that. And if you already know the story, this translation still offers something new—it sharpens the characters and makes the emotional undercurrents more visible without losing the epic scale. Overall, this is one of the most readable and thoughtful translations available right now. It respects the original while actually inviting you into it, which isn’t something every version manages to do.