Alexander Pope (1726)

As with his translation of the Iliad, Pope changed the metre from the dactylic hexameter used by the Homeric Greek text into heroic couplets, rhyming pairs of lines in iambic pentameter.

Robert Fitzgerald (1961)

For decades, Fitzgerald’s translation was widely regarded as the literary standard: elegant, lyrical, and deeply attentive to the poem’s beauty. His Odyssey feels reflective and musical rather than fast-paced.

Richmond Lattimore (1965)

Long favored in academic circles, Lattimore’s translation attempts to remain structurally close to the Greek, including its repetitions and formulaic qualities. His six-beat line echoes Homeric rhythm more directly than most modern literary translations.

Robert Fagles (1996)

Still one of the most commonly assigned translations, Fagles leans toward contemporary free verse and emphasizes narrative energy, drama, and accessibility. For many readers, this is the most cinematic Odyssey.

These are the four translations I’ve read of Homer’s Odyssey. All four have their strengths and weaknesses, but if I had to pick my favorite, I would go with Robert Fagles.

That being said, let’s turn to Christopher Nolan’s “translation” of the Odyssey now in cinemas across the land. I attended the 2:00 p.m. showing at our local AMC Theaters. The theater I was in was about half full. The three hour movie lagged in parts–which gave me the opportunity to run to the Men’s Room–and yet held my attention with the vivid scenes on the screen. When I think of Odysseus, the man who is credited with winning the Trojan War with his sneaky Trojan Horse trick, I think “cunning.” When Christopher Nolan thinks of Odysseus, he thinks Jason Bourne (aka, Matt Damon).

In my readings of the Odyssey, I don’t remember Odysseus being a great fighter. I remember Odysseus being clever and brilliant. In Nolan’s Odyssey there’s a lot of fighting. And I was getting sea-sick from all the scenes on boats. At the end of Nolan’s Odyssey, there was a smattering of applause. But not from me. GRADE: B