Quick overview
- Greek epic, composed around the 8th century BC
- Attributed to Homer
- Translated into English blank verse by Bryant
What is The Odyssey about?
The Odyssey is an ancient Greek epic poem attributed to Homer. It tells of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, who spends ten years trying to get home after the Trojan War.
On the way he meets the Cyclops, the sorceress Circe and the Sirens. At home, his wife Penelope and son Telemachus hold off suitors who have taken over the house. This edition is William Cullen Bryant's blank-verse translation, published in 1871 and 1872. It has twenty-four books and has influenced writers from Virgil to James Joyce.
Read The Odyssey online
How to read it on a Kindle, Kobo or phone
Kindle: download the EPUB and send it with Amazon's Send to Kindle (web, app or email). Amazon converts it for your device. Kobo, Pocketbook, Apple Books and Google Play Books open the EPUB directly. The PDF keeps the page layout and suits printing or a large tablet.
Is The Odyssey free to download?
Yes. The Odyssey was first published c. 700 BC, so it is in the US public domain. The work is ancient and the translator died in 1878, so it is free in the EU as well. This edition comes from Standard Ebooks, which releases its texts under CC0.
What is The Odyssey about?
It follows Odysseus on his long, dangerous journey home from Troy to Ithaca, and his family's struggle in his absence.
Who translated this edition of The Odyssey?
This edition uses the English blank-verse translation by the American poet William Cullen Bryant.
MetamorphosesOvid
BeowulfAnonymous
Paradise LostJohn Milton
The IliadHomer
The Canterbury TalesGeoffrey Chaucer
The Divine ComedyDante Alighieri