Try free for 30 days

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
The Odyssey cover art

The Odyssey

By: Homer, Emily Wilson - translator
Narrated by: Claire Danes
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $50.99

Buy Now for $50.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

Acclaimed actress Claire Danes burnishes an epic story of heroes, gods, and monsters in a groundbreaking translation of The Odyssey, the first great adventure story in the Western literary tradition. When the wily warrior-king Odysseus sets off for home after the Trojan War, he doesn’t realize this simple undertaking will become a perilous journey of 10 years. Beset at every turn, he encounters obstacles, detours, and temptations—both supernatural and human—while his wife Penelope fends off would-be suitors desperate to take the throne.

Emily Wilson is the first woman to take on the daunting task of translating over 100,000 lines of a three-millennium-old poem from Ancient Greek to modern-day English. Her breathtaking rendition captures the poetic immediacy of the original text, while allowing listeners to experience The Odyssey with an honesty and directness few other versions have achieved. The result is a lean, fleet-footed translation that recaptures Homer’s “nimble gallop” and brings an ancient epic to new life. A fascinating introduction provides an informative overview of the Bronze Age milieu that produced the epic, the major themes of the poem, the controversies about its origins, and the unparalleled scope of its impact and influence.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2018 Emily Wilson (translation), Adrian Kitzinger (maps copyright) (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Odyssey

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    96
  • 4 Stars
    20
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    93
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    89
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

At 50 years of age I finally read this epic! I thoroughly enjoyed it and found the intro but the author very helpful. The performance of the main story/poem was on point and it has left me wanting more… so onto the Iliad next. :)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely Stunning

Such a powerful story. The introduction and translators notes are long (together nearly four hours of the audiobook) but are well worth listening to as they certainly added depth to my understanding of the story as it went on.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable Listening

I enjoyed listening to this podcast. Claire Danes, narration was clear and engaging.
The introduction prepared me for the events and the use of repetition throughout the poem and assisted with understanding the context of the poem.

If you have always wanted to read The Odyssey, I would recommend listening to this translation.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Love

Love it. Clare Dane's voice is elegance and emotion, she portrays the drama beautifully. I feel the story and the words through her.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best translation ever

I loved this translation of The Odyssey. Both the actual book is great to read and the audio book is wonderfully performed. And this would have to be one of the best translations ever.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Claire brings pathos to the Odyssey

There’s not much for me to add by way of commentary to the story, except to say that spinster Athena must be more interested in promoting revenge and helping Odysseus get away from Circe and Calypso than seeing him return to Penelope, though she would have respected her long standing chastity. It’s this Athenian character that comes through in the reading of the beautiful Claire Danes, who might as easily played Helen as Juliette. There is in her voice the intimation of those alternate emotions exhibited by the goddess - the sparkling eyes that foretell great action and sadistic vengeance and bloodshed, and the outrage of a woman to spur on the man when he loses faith. Her voice is the strength of the passion of woman when it rises up in protective rage for her man. Penelope is passively charged and sly like her husband and Claire captures that voice as well. She well captures the contrast between Athena and Penelope- the contrast of the empowered and disempowered woman. Her only weakness is the male voices. She should have a go at Emily Bronte or Christina Rossetti.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sublime.

This was an incredible translation perfectly performed by Claire Danes. I can’t wait to listen to it all over again

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

wow

so great. it was really good and I think I just want to do it again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

stunning translation

an awesome, punchy translation. well read. Emily Wilson has breathed new light into a work previously viewed through a white male lens

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Short but long

Overall the events seem to occur quite quickly yet by the end of the book it seems like it was one long journey. The author has Odysseus as the protagonist throughout the book but at the end his barbaric acts are brought to light amongst the townspeople, you then believe that this man was unjustified in what he did.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.