07/18/2026
“The Odyssey” is the cornerstone of Greek mythology and one of the most influential literary works in history. And director Christopher Nolan's big-screen interpretation, which opened this week, seems destined to be an Oscar contender and the summer’s biggest box office hit.
The epic poem recounts Odysseus’ 10-year voyage home from the Trojan War while battling the forces — natural and supernatural —that opposed him. It has spawned countless translations, retellings and adaptations through the centuries. The word “odyssey” has even come into the English language to mean an arduous journey.
The historical origins of “The Odyssey,” however, are murky. It’s been estimated that Homer, who is commonly identified as the author, lived in the 8th or 9th century BCE, but the poem was probably not fixed in writing until the 6th century BCE. Through the intervening years, the work would have been passed on by poets singing its verses and very likely taking liberties with the text. The language, known as Homeric Greek, was a literary dialect that was probably not spoken.
The first English translation of “The Odyssey” was published in 1614, and since then at least 60 translations have been published. Because no translation can entirely capture a work, translators each put their own stamp on the poem. Some use language that emphasizes the epic grandeur, while others choose a more accessible approach. Some translators use rhythm and meter familiar to readers of English poetry, while others prefer to copy the poetic style of the original.
The NLS collection has five translations of “The Odyssey” into English and four in other languages, giving readers a wide choice:
• Robert Fitzgerald’s translation was published in 1961 and is known for its lyrical quality and lofty language. It’s narrated by the great Alexander Scourby (DB43541).
• Richmond Lattimore, whose Odyssey dates to 1965, gives a line-for-line rendering very close to the original phrasing (BR02752).
• Robert Fagles in 1996 produced a version that is faithful to the text but is also colloquial and accessible (BR12113, DB72052).
• Emily Wilson’s 2018 translation is lean and accessible using the same number of lines as the original to capture the swift pace of the Homeric Greek (DB88961).
• Daniel Mendelsohn in 2025 chose to use the authentic meter and literary devices of the original for a more expansive version (DB131424).
“The Odyssey” is also available from NLS in other languages: French (BRF02203), Modern Greek (BRF00668), Russian (DBF04761) and Polish (DBF01893).
NLS patrons can select their favorite version or sample a bit of each to see which they prefer. (If the translation you want isn’t on BARD, request it from your NLS network library.)
[Image: A 16th century chiaroscuro woodcut showing the enchantress Circe — played in Nolan’s film by Samantha Morton — standing on a wharf offering a drink to sailors as their ship passes. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division.]
