The Odyssey

By Homer

Epic poetry

Homer's epic poem follows the Greek hero Odysseus on his ten-year journey home from the Trojan War to his wife Penelope and son Telemachus on the island of Ithaca. Along the way he encounters the Cyclops Polyphemus, the witch Circe, the Sirens, the cattle of the sun, and a host of other obstacles set by capricious gods. The book club read Emily Wilson's 2017 translation, the first English *Odyssey* by a woman, written in iambic pentameter and noted for its stripped-down, contemporary diction.