kokotg Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 Anyone want to make a case for a particular translation of The Odyssey? I'm starting off the year with it for my three oldest, who are in 7th, 9th, and 12th grades. I have on hand translations by Edward McCrorie, Robert Fagles, and EV Rieu (Penguin Classics). Apparently I'm not capable of passing up a copy at the thrift store... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stlily Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 The Robert Fagles translation is the one recommended in both the 3rd and 4th editions of TWTM. That's the one I purchased for my daughter for the upcoming school year. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigid in NC Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 ?? Fagles! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted July 28, 2018 Author Share Posted July 28, 2018 46 minutes ago, stlily said: The Robert Fagles translation is the one recommended in both the 3rd and 4th editions of TWTM. That's the one I purchased for my daughter for the upcoming school year. I should have thought to check there! Thanks--we just did a side by side comparison of the first few lines for the three translations I have, and the kids and I all liked Fagles the best. There's an interesting sounding translation that came out last year (first by a woman, I think)....but I'm going to resist buying yet another translation and stick with Fagles ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 We like Fagles, but having different translations on hand actually makes it really interesting when you are doing The Odyssey as a group. Each kid has a different one and we share interesting differences from the ones in front of us. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted July 28, 2018 Author Share Posted July 28, 2018 12 minutes ago, RootAnn said: We like Fagles, but having different translations on hand actually makes it really interesting when you are doing The Odyssey as a group. Each kid has a different one and we share interesting differences from the ones in front of us. So you're saying I DO have an excuse to buy another one ?. We'll definitely spend time comparing the different translations....I love talking about stuff like that! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 My son who did AP Latin prefers the Fagles (we might have 3 different copies at the house now). I did get the new translation by Emily Wilson as a Kindle book when it was new. The interview with the author was really enticing. https://www.tor.com/2018/05/03/all-the-voices-of-the-odyssey-emily-wilson-on-language-translation-and-culture/ As interesting as it is to see a woman's translation, I was even more taken by her explanation of how she made translation choices. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 One of my dc used Fagles. The other preferred Mandelbaum. I let that dc pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 In a related question, though... I'm working on which version of the Iliad to have dc3 read, and I've discovered quite a discrepancy in line numbering between translations. It's rather aggravating, as I can't just quickly flip from one to the next to quickly see different translations of the same line; I may have to search a bit somewhere within 30 lines or so to find the right spot. Do those of you who have multiple copies of the Odyssey have the same problem? FWIW, the translations I'm looking at tonight are by Fagles, Fitzgerald, Alexander, and Mitchell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigid in NC Posted July 29, 2018 Share Posted July 29, 2018 By the way, there's a fabulous unabridged audiobook of the Fagles Odyssey--read by Ian McKellan (Lord of the Rings Gandalf ?). There's also an excellent audio reading of Fagles' Iliad--but sadly it's abridged. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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