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Bob Parish (Indiana Bob)'s avatar

I am enjoying this series of essays about the Odyssey. I have not read the story since I was a child, back in in my Third Grade classroom. (Thank you, Mrs. MacGregor, wherever you are!) And of course, the old movie with Stop Motion cyclops. Question: can you recommend a good translation, perhaps with foot notes to help the modern reader understand the classical context? Or even an annotated version? Thanks.

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Massimo Pigliucci's avatar

Bob, was that a reference to Jimmy Durante and his famous "Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are"?

My favorite translation of the Odyssey is by Robert Fagles, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1381.The_Odyssey

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Bob Parish (Indiana Bob)'s avatar

I wasn’t directly referencing Durante, but I grew up watching a lot of old movies on television. I just wanted to acknowledge a teacher who meant a lot to me when I was a child, and encouraged us to read the classics, albeit in abridged form suitable for children

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Bob Parish (Indiana Bob)'s avatar

Thank you, I have asked my wife (who works at a used book store) to get a copy for me!

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