The Odyssey

Homer (circa 8th century BCE) is the legendary ancient Greek poet traditionally credited with composing the foundational epics of Western literature, The Iliad and The Odyssey. Though little is known about his life, and scholars continue to debate whether the poems were the work of a single individual or a collective oral tradition, his masterpieces structurally defined the epic form. Samuel Butler (1835–1902) was an iconoclastic English author, critic, and translator, best known for his satirical novel Erewhon and the semi-autobiographical masterpiece The Way of All Flesh. A dedicated classical scholar, Butler translated both of Homer's epics into accessible, modern English prose, aiming to capture the vital, living spirit of the original narratives for contemporary readers