MN Readalong : Homer’s The Odyssey in 2026

[EineReiseDurchDieZeit]

Proposing 2 chapters a month so for January

1. Athene Visits Telemachus
2. The Debate In Ithaca

Convening at the end of each month

Everyone welcome!

Thanks for the reminder. I finished books 13 &14 last week and really enjoyed them. For some reason, I thought Odysseus took longer to get home, so was quite surprised to find we're in Ithaca with 10 books to go.

I felt quite sorry for the Phaecians who had helped Odysseus and then got turned to stone and possibly a mountain hiding their city.

I did find the parts wth Eumaeus a bit odd, there's lots of twisty story telling going on.

The Mary Beard analysis sounds great @ShackletonSailingSouth I'll have a look for it.

I think I'm going to power on through to the end now as I want to watch the film. And am I'm Kefalonia on holiday looking over at Ithaca, so seems like the right time to finish it. I'll still tune in for the monthly catch up if they continue.

Thanks for the reminder @EineReiseDurchDieZeit. I enjoyed these last two chapters but felt the Eumaeus bit dragged, no need for yet another shaggy dog story from Odysseus, he just can’t help lying about his past can he? Also the chapter in my version is called In Eumaeus’ Hut, but it turns out he has quite the pig empire, rather than being a simple swineherd as suggested.

I also felt very sorry for the Phaeacians who displayed good guest friendship and yet were turned to stone by Poseidon, who really knows how to hold a grudge. He’s rapidly becoming my least favourite god.

I’m hoping to see the film next weekend, and am looking forward to it.

@Stowickthevast that sounds amazing!

@RomanMum I'd also forgotten quite how many pigs Eumaeus is in charge of! Though he is also a slave. Seems pretty unlikely that Ithaca could support that many pigs, but on the podcast they talk about how the Homeric heroes eat nothing but meat as a way of showing their status, whereas in reality the diet at that time would mostly have been vegetables, grain and fish.

Interesting comments in the Guardian today by Emily Wilson on the film - she is clearly not a fan!

@Stowickthevast- I think the impression of a long journey is because the retellings I read as a child tell the story in chronological order & condense the Telemachus part. This means that the Calypso & Nausicaa episodes are told as part of his journey, whereas here they are part as the present action.

I think Homer’s way of narrating it is clever as it means the story doesn’t drag as you have the present action for both Telemachus & Odysseus & both looking back. It also separates the Circe & Calypso episodes which are similar (aside from the pigs).

[I noticed this because I’ve just reread A Town like Alice which uses a similar structure & was struck by how that made for quite a pacy read.]

@Stowickthevast @RomanMum @Benvenuto anyone still in and has read books 15-16?

Still in!

Hello, yes I have. I finished it while on holiday as I was in Kefalonia looking over at Ithaca and it seemed appropriately atmospheric. Also so I could watch the not hugely accurate film. I did go down an interesting internet rabbit hole about whether Ithaca is actually Ithaca. Modern interpretation seens to think it's possibly not and Homer's Ithaca is actually western Kefalonia.

I'm away this weekend but will go back and post about those books when I'm home.

I didn’t know if the round up was this weekend or next?

I thought it was next but I’ve been a rubbish Readalong host so no complaints as I’m still miles behind

I might have just assumed it was this weekend as 4 weeks after the last one but we can wait til next weekend if that suits People better @EineReiseDurchDieZeit @RomanMum ☺️

Still in! Although I've fallen behind. Got addicted to A Gentleman in Moscow and abandoned all other reading!

I finally saw The Odyssey film this month and was engrossed. Obviously it’s missing some of the elements and characters of the book but I really enjoyed it. It felt epic but not overly long: glad I had some idea of the storyline though, that definitely helped. It was a 9am showing which felt odd but meant it was over by lunchtime. Didn’t stop the guy in the seat along from me having a popcorn breakfast 😁.

in these chapters Eumaeus’s backstory was fascinating, showing him as much more than a swineherd, and the reunion with Odysseus and Telemachus was so touching, even in my old Rieu translation. I’m going to have to get the Emily Wilson to compare. The plot is definitely ramping up to the downfall of the suitors: I had to stop myself from reading on.

I enjoyed these chapters, but found it difficult to think of much to say about most of them as it felt like Homer was manoeuvring his characters for the confrontation between Odysseus & the suitors rather than previous sections that have had their own drama.

The part I did find interesting was when Telemachus & Penelope confront the suitors & it’s striking how Homer distinguishes between the different characters of the suitors. I think that gets lost in the retellings when the suitors are usually portrayed as a mass group.

I can’t remember when we were due for the next Odyssey round up but I’ve read chapters XVII and XVIII. I’ll try to keep things vague to avoid spoilers… 😁

The tension is really building up to Odysseus’ return with Argus recognising him, less made of this than I expected - had it been written today it would certainly have featured more heavily (and indeed did so in the recent film). The hierarchy of the palace beggars and boxing/wrestling match with Irus was a surprise; I didn’t know about that incident at all. A hint to the suitors of Odysseus’ capabilities, which only Amphinomus realised - though as Homer said his premonition of disaster wouldn’t save him from being on the wrong end of Telemachus’ spear (spoiler, Homer!). We are also seeing some nuanced conversation between the women of the household, Penelope and her serving maids, which was a welcome relief from all the testosterone - still didn’t pass the Bechtel test though. Roll on the morning and Odysseus’ revenge.

I enjoyed the chapters, but like last month’s two much of it felt like Homer manoeuvring characters into place. Also like last month, I found that the text came alive with the confrontation at the end.