Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsA confusing reader's experience
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 26, 2016
Homer's Odysseus is a vitally basic work of world literature, but oh, so confusing as reading experience. Over ten years ago I read a poem-version Finnish translversi of it in a reading group. Notes from that and these are like made from two different books. In the Finnish translation Greek-derived names of people and gods has been used, here instead Latin-based. This in itself is confusing for the inconvenience, until you get used to it. Another difference is thitinstead verse translation and this outspoken, yet somehow poetic-bound unusual prose text.
The work and activity, the general course of events is quite clear, as long as it is kept in mind that they are not told as events as they occur, but afterwardas as a travel account. Here a terrible number of people and gods are included. Only a limited number of activities and a vague impression of the importance of things fasten in mind. When reading you cannot avoid comparing life now and then. Odyssian life seems to be concentrated to more essential things than is our life. Just eating, drinking, dressing, and homemaking get more attention than in our life. All the action is in every respect more grandiose than it is now. People are gathered in big numbers. Whole pigs will be eaten, a lot of washing, rough behavior. Fighting for petty reasons, ruthless killing, but also generous treating: clothes, lavish gifts are given.
The difference in the relationship between man and god is really great. This of course, because of the fundamental difference between the polytheistic and monotheistic religions. We have only one God who is behind everything and decides everything perfectly. Ulysse's gods are many and they are dedicated to specific issues. There are contradictions between the gods and not just between people and in human relations to the gods. But the gods are also closer to the people and behave like people. While here man is created as image of God, Odyssian gods are vice versa enlarged pictures of man.
Are there any books to which this unique story could be compared? Yes, to similar works of polytheistic worldview, such as the Kalevala, which also describes a journey, Sampo robbery and acquiring it back to its original use as the source of general well-being. Because the world of the Kalevala is more human and refined, it is in my eyes more appealing than the heights of mountains and jagged environments of Odyssean world.
Although the plot is clear and justified, a question remains: Why does not Odysseus straight away go to meet Penelope? So would a hero of our world undoubtedly have done.
However, no way avoiding full five stars, mainly for the clarity and great features of the plot.
