The Odyssey 12618

This poem has been translated many times over the years, but Chapman's sinewy, gorgeous rendering (1616) stands in a class of its own. Chapman believed himself inspired by the spirit of Homer himself, and matches the breadth and power of the original with a complex and stunning idiom of his own. John Keats expressed his admiration for the resulting work in the famous sonnet, 'On first looking into Chapman's Homer': 'Much I have travelled in the realms of gold...'

This new Wordsworth edition of Chapman's Homer contains accessible annotation, and a detailed introduction places that his masterpiece in the context of his own day, and discusses its influences on later poets.