The Odyssey

By: Homer, Allen Mandelbaum - translator

Narrated by: Derek Jacobi

Homer's masterpiece tells the story of Odysseus, the ideal Greek hero, as he travels home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, a journey of 10 years and countless thrilling adventures. Rich in Greek folklore and myth, featuring gods and goddesses, monsters and sorceresses, The Odyssey has enchanted listeners around the world for thousands of years.

Mandelbaum's robust, romantic, lyrical translation has an openness and immediacy unsurpassed by any other. Read aloud, it is a wonderful way to experience this enduring classic.

©1990 Allen Mandelbaum. (P)1996 HighBridge Company

Like and dislike

I liked it because it was a good book
And I disliked it, because it only went up to chapter 8 and there’s 24 chapters in the book

The book skips, and chp.'s are numbered different

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, because this book skips and the ch. in the book is different than the audible book.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Not sure.

What does Derek Jacobi bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Nice oration.

Did The Odyssey inspire you to do anything?

No.

Any additional comments?

The book needs to NOT skip around. The chapters in the book should be the same on audible.

Fascinating Classic Tale // Excellent reader

Though this is a prose translation (not the original poetry), it is an excellent listening experience. It flows beautifully and is full of imagery. Derek Jacobi's wonderful voice and expression is a major reason for the success of this audio book. I've long known the individual events in this adventure, but this is the first time I've heard the whole journey.
I'm sure I'll listen to this again and again over the years.

Well described and define version

This book was so very wonderful! The characters were so defined by Derek Jacobi that I never became lost. I would most definitely want to listen to this version again.
A student of Highbury Tutorials

Brilliant, but incomplete

Derek Jacobi is one of the few people (James Earl Jones, Patrick Stewart, Gregory Peck) that I would pay just to hear them read the Manhattan phone book, and this is a wonderful performance. Allen Mandelbaum is, perhaps, my favorite translator. The story is one that I have read every year or two since I was seven (now 73). So listening to this should be a dream of heaven, and in a way, it is. My only reservation is that it’s an incomplete edited version, which makes it impossible to read simultaneously with the narration. A minor annoyance. It’s like having a meal at the Gourmet Room (Cincinnati) or Quince (San Francisco) but not able to get a glass of water. That said, it’s worth listening and reading separately.