Stephen Fry’s retelling of the Odyssey is fun, exciting and relatable

On By Littum

The fourth in the series of retellings of Greek mythology.

The fourth in the series of retellings of Greek mythology.

CLASSICS
The Odyssey
Stephen Fry
Michael Joseph $36.99

December’s mad dash is almost over and we’re all racing towards the finish line with a million things on our minds. But once the holidays arrive at the end of December, there can be nothing but relaxation. Many of us want to lock ourselves away, while others want to enjoy a tan on the beach, but what we all have in common is that there will be a book in hand – and what better way to massage the mind than by opening a familiar favorite or cozy classic.

Stephen Fry satisfies the desire to explore new horizons and the temptation to flip through something grand yet breezy with his retelling of The Odyssey.

Even if you think you don’t, we actually know all the bare bones of the story of Odysseus’ perilous journey home after the Trojan War. All of it (and I mean almost all) started with the elusive figure Homer and the composition of 12,109 lines of hexameter verse from which we still draw inspiration, and can find the lineage of art and song all around. But words like “hexameter” can scare people or just sound like too much of a commitment, so this very talky iteration of the epic poem is easy to pick up for those of us who want to sail through the wrath of the gods and the machinations of men without taxing the brain .

Stephen Fry's Odyssey is informative, light in its touch and a great story.

Stephen Fry’s Odyssey is informative, light in its touch and a great story.

A very bright-eyed young friend of mine who enjoyed Fry’s Myth said this about these retellings: “What I like about Fry is that he’s your classic British toff, but he invites you into the club instead of closing the door behind him.” And it’s easy to see how appealing it must be to anyone coming into ancient Greek mythology for the first time when Fry explains that the way we pronounce “Circe” “rhymes mercyalthough a Greek would say it something like ‘Keer-kay’.”

Isn’t it convenient to have a storyteller tell the stories of a cyclops defeated by Nobody, men turned into pigs by a witch goddess, or the song of the alluring sirens in a colloquial and contemporary language that is easy to digest? He also has supporting notes for you at your fingertips. This is what Fry offers with a retelling that anyone can pick up on.

Fry’s fourth book on the Greek myths is a little tentative, a little unpoetic for those who are already deep in the classics. Throughout his The OdysseyFry refers to his accompanying books Myth, Heroes and Troythat invites you to delve deeper into the labyrinth of mythology. But at the same time he resists tempting readers with, in my opinion, greater recommendations such as e.g. Euripides’ 1959 film. Medea starring Australian Judith Anderson, towering over Jason like a tottering pillar ready to topple.

And Fry’s prose is a far cry from Christopher Logue’s dazzling 1967 translation of book 19 of the The Iliad that bathes you in poetry: “Rats, / pearl, / onion, / honey: / these colors came before the sun / rose above the sea / brought light / to mortals and immortals alike”.

But there is so much to enjoy at Stephen Fry’s The Odyssey. The humor is light and the story forces you through every turn of disaster and exciting plot to escape. Why not sail the Aegean like a hero from home?

Boglisten is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from Jason Steger. Get it delivered every Friday.