Odysseus Returns Home, part of the Penguin Epics collection is a translation of the final part of Homer's Odyssey with the hero Odysseus facing his final challenge to reclaim his home and his wife from an opportunist bunch of suitors. This is not The Odyssey and probably the more exciting parts of that tale are not kept within this version - what this segment delivers is a tale of long-held love between a man and his wife and the need for such a man to defend his wife against the encroaching ravages of other men.

The Odyssey is one of the truly great works of literature and the writing even in this prose translation remains of the very highest order. The poetry and meter are at times a little difficult as the rhythm is lost through translation into English and into prose yet in many places this edition retains a clear beat - when the beat changes it can be harder to follow in switching the reader's thought process from poetry to prose. The characterisation though is absolutely terrific and has stood the test of thousands of years. Odysseus, by now a veteran survivor uses cunning, deception, and ruthless aggression to outwit a large group of opponents. Penelope his wife maintains her dignity and poise while enduring a seemingly forlorn hope of her husband's return home from war.

The morality of the time is fascinating. Odysseus has left for battle and not returned in years. Many assume him to be dead. Penelope as a woman of significant social standing inevitably has suitors eager to move into Odysseus's position yet these suitors are the villains of the piece. They are given no quarter and meet horrendous ends. There is a moment in which Homer clearly realises that some might have sympathy with the suitors - they seem to have done very little wrong to deserve such a fate - that moment arises in an afterlife discussion. The suitors plead their case in a relatively convincing manner, accusing Penelope of having tricked them and of the wrongs against them being entirely unjust. Other heroes of Greek tradition though stand against them and this is clearly a deliberate way of conveying Homer's message that the suitors are in the wrong by putting his words into the mouths of legendary favourites in of Greek mythology. A very interesting insight into ancient psychology and an early example of a personality advertising a message.

The concluding act of the tale is just as fascinating. Odysseus is concerned early on that the suitors will potentially be avenged and he and his few supporters will struggle against the combined might of a dozen angry families. The way Odysseus solves this problem is a lesson that we seem to have forgotten in much of the modern world - peace is earned not an entitlement. It is the military might of Odysseus and his family that leads to peace. The superstitions of the time attribute the prowess to divine intervention but the underlying message is simple in that Odysseus earns the right to peace by being able to defend himself against the potential threat and so he is not negotiating from a position of weakness. In Homer's view the Gods persuade the potential avengers to leave Odysseus alone but what is clear is that it is the strength of arms that makes that persuasion realistic.

The Penguin Epics version is not a 5 star book as it is not The Odyssey. This is the end of the journey, the journey itself being far better remembered. This is a a great little snippet and holds enough information within it for those who are at all familiar with some of the other scenes to recall the key events. Its position on a bookshelf is as part of the Penguin Epics collection where it nestles in very well. ( )

A free audio version of this work is available at librivox.org ( )