With introduction and notes by Adam Roberts, Royal Holloway, University of London.
The great epic poet Homer describes the many adventures of Odysseus, a Greek warrior, as he struggles for many years to return to his island, Ithaca, after the Trojan War. His vivid adventures, endurance, and love for his wife and son have the same power to move and inspire readers today as they did 2800 years ago in Ancient Greece.
This poetry has been translated many times over the years, but Chapman's strong and beautiful rendering (1616) stands out. Chapman believed he was inspired by Homer's spirit and matches the breadth and power of the original, offering a rich and impressive language of his own. John Keats expressed admiration for the result with his famous sonnet, "On first looking into Chapman’s Homer": "Much have I traveled in the realms of gold..."
The new Wordsworth edition of Chapman's Homer includes accessible notes and a detailed introduction that places his masterpiece in the context of its time and discusses its influences on later poets.
Pages: 512, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm
