Great question! Fagles is the go-to for first time readers. It is poetic, dynamic, but easy to read. Our friends over at Ascend: The Great Books Podcast use it for their episodes. The more classic, literal translation is Lattimore.
I found the connection between xenia and civilization especially fruitful. Hospitality in the Odyssey is never merely a social courtesy; it is a test of whether a house still knows what a human being is. The stranger arrives before he can be classified, judged, or made useful, and the host’s response reveals the moral order of the place. That gives the poem a surprisingly searching anthropology: the treatment of the guest discloses the condition of the soul and the household at once. It also makes the home more than a private space; it becomes a moral world under judgment. Perhaps that is why violations of xenia feel so grave in Homer — they are not bad manners, but a small apocalypse of the home.
I am reading it! I’m supposed to lead a Bloomsday writing workshop about Odysseus, connecting the Odyssey and Ulysses. Wish me luck, and give advice if you can.
Thank you for this piece! Excellent.
Homer is worth a defense!
Is there a particular translation you prefer?
Great question! Fagles is the go-to for first time readers. It is poetic, dynamic, but easy to read. Our friends over at Ascend: The Great Books Podcast use it for their episodes. The more classic, literal translation is Lattimore.
I’ve read Fagles so that’s good to know about Lattimore. I’ll read that one next. Thank you!
I found the connection between xenia and civilization especially fruitful. Hospitality in the Odyssey is never merely a social courtesy; it is a test of whether a house still knows what a human being is. The stranger arrives before he can be classified, judged, or made useful, and the host’s response reveals the moral order of the place. That gives the poem a surprisingly searching anthropology: the treatment of the guest discloses the condition of the soul and the household at once. It also makes the home more than a private space; it becomes a moral world under judgment. Perhaps that is why violations of xenia feel so grave in Homer — they are not bad manners, but a small apocalypse of the home.
I am reading it! I’m supposed to lead a Bloomsday writing workshop about Odysseus, connecting the Odyssey and Ulysses. Wish me luck, and give advice if you can.