The Society of Classical Poets is proud to announce the publication of Homer’s civilization-defining classic The Odyssey, translated by Michael Solot, edited by Andrew Benson Brown, and spectacularly illuminated with hand-drawn illustrations by Aedan Kennedy. Mr. Solot’s enchanting metered and often alliterative translation and his dedication to effective storytelling make it worth revisiting the epic tale of Odysseus and his homeward journey. This edition is also perfect for teens and twenty-somethings who need an engaging introduction to real culture that has been sorely missing from their 21st century lives. Read more in James Sale’s incisive review in The Epoch Times here.
There are three versions of the new edition. Click on the version to view its product page:
The Odyssey (Illustrated)
The Odyssey (Illustrated with Commentary)
Kindle Version: The Odyssey (Illustrated)
A fabulous translation and notes that are so insightful. Check out my full review on The Epoch Times link.
For all those interested, sales have surpassed expectations in the first week of release. We remain a #1 hot new release in 3 categories on Amazon—admittedly no major feat for a book in obscure genres. In the ‘ancient and classical poetry’ category, the edition with commentary is marginally beating out Arthur Sze, the new DEI hire currently occupying the position of poet laureate. A small and no doubt brief victory, but a significant one given our indie publishing status. Many thanks to everyone who contributed to making this SCP publication possible!
Here is the comment that I posted at Amazon concerning Michael Solot’s new translation of Homer’s Odyssey:
A Stellar New Odyssey
Solot’s translation is excellent for two major reasons: first, it is in a perfectly fluent and contemporary English, free from any distracting rhetorical flourishes or antique diction; and second, it is accompanied by the very best commentary on the text that I have ever seen. This lengthy commentary is clear, direct, unpretentious, and yet at the same time as solid in its scholarship as one could wish. There isn’t a single important issue about the Odyssey and its meaning that Solot fails to address, or any disputed question that he doesn’t deal with fairly and intelligently.
Something else is important. Many modern translations of Homer suffer from the idiotic tendency to revise both his language and his characterizations in ways that turn ancient Greek men and women into boring metrosexual yuppies and proto-feminists, or to re-imagine ancient motives in ways that are congenial to our current degraded culture. You won’t find any of this fakery in Solot. His translation is not a compromise between ancient attitudes and contemporary faddishness. We see clearly and plainly what Homer says, what Odysseus and the other characters think and feel, and what sort of perceptions governed the actions of persons at that far-distant time. To put it plainly, this is an HONEST Odyssey, without politically correct tinkering or pseudo-scholarly obfuscation.
The book itself is beautifully enriched by fine illustrations, and the print font is clear and easy on the eyes. I recommend this stellar new translation highly, and I am grateful to the Society of Classical Poets for having made its publication possible.
–Joseph S. Salemi
good am,
is there a HC edition avaiable ?
There is no hardcover version currently, but we are planning on one in the future.
Andrew/The Society, will Aedan’s drawings in print form be available for purchase in the near future?
I’m sure there are many of us that wish to support his work.
I’m very much looking forward to reading the translation (currently finishing up the Space Trilogy). I’ll have to get the translation with the commentary as well.
Many thanks
For some reason I hadn’t considered selling prints of Aedan’s art … but I am now! Am going to look into this.