'The Odyssey'

Overview

"The Odyssey" is an ancient Greek epic poem attributed to Homer. The story is a companion to "The Iliad," another epic attributed to Homer that recounts the Trojan War. Both "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" were written between 750 and 650 BCE, though the stories likely existed long before writing. Ancient people often told stories as entertainment, and those stories were often poems, since elements like meter made the tales easier to commit to memory.

"The Odyssey" centers on Odysseus, a hero of the Trojan War, and his attempts to return home to Ithaca. During this 10-year journey, Odysseus encounters several obstacles and characters that have become oft-repeated tropes and archetypes in literature and popular culture.

The epic has been widely adapted and reinterpreted by the likes of James Joyce, the Coen Brothers, and others, and is considered one of the foundational works of Western literature.

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