The Odyssey by Homer

This modern re-creation by Steven Martinez seeks to make Homer’s poem more approachable to the general reader. Centered on one man’s journey home, the narrative focuses on Ulysses’ harrowing struggle to reach his beloved wife Penelope, and his young son Telemachus, in the wake of the Trojan War. Combining themes of marital devotion, love, and family—set against the backdrop of war—Homer’s great epic stands as one of the most life-affirming works in all of literature. This abridged rendition seeks, above all, to capture the essence or spirit of ‘The Odyssey.’ It includes only the most meaningful confrontations, and untangles the convoluted structure of the original. The poetic line is designed to scan swiftly, reflecting the urgency and movement that make Ulysses’ journey so eternally compelling.