The Odyssey is considered to be one of the greatest pieces of world literature. Its basic story--the homecoming of Odysseus--is widely known. Although it has often been translated, earlier versions do not give the reader the full sense of its oral epic nature as a song that came into being through a long tradition of sung performances before writing was widely practiced. When finally written down, it retained its oral-formulaic nature in ways that...

The centuries old epic about the wrath of Achilles is rendered into modern English verse by a renowned translator and accompanied by an introduction that reassesses the identity of Homer. In Robert Fagles' beautifully rendered text, the Iliad overwhelms us afresh. The huge themes -- godlike, yet utterly human of savagery and calculation, of destiny defied, of triumph and grief -- compel our own humanity. Time after time, one pauses and re-reads before...

"In this classic program, translator Robert Fagles, Librarian of Congress Emeritus Daniel Boorstin, classicist Bernard Knox, archaeologist Sarantis Symeonoglou, art historian Diana Buitron-Oliver, and Steven Tracy, of the Ohio State University, retrace Odysseus' journey, link it to modern experience, and show how the images and events portrayed in the epic poem continue to resonate in literature, philosophy, and the visual arts. The themes of ego,...