November Book Club: The Odyssey
Book Name: The Odyssey
By: Homer
English translator: Emily Wilson
SYNOPSIS:
Homer’s epic ‘The Odyssey’ follows Odysseus on his ten-year journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, while his wife Penelope and son Telemachus protect their home from relentless suitors. The poem’s enduring power comes from its oral storytelling style, with epithets, repeated scenes, and circular structure that transform memory into narrative.
Along the way, it explores timeless themes of hospitality (xenia), justice, disguise, and recognition, showing how stories travel, evolve, and return. Reading The Odyssey today is experiencing a living tradition, a poem designed to be both spoken and heard.
EXCERPT:
“Tell me about a complicated man.”
— Emily Wilson
Book Club Meeting: The Odyssey
DATE: 22 November
TIME: 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
In this session, Dr. Nezar Andary will guide us on a journey through Homer’s The Odyssey as a performative text exploring the search for home, and how the story weaves together memory, ethics, and community. We will trace Odysseus’ journey, highlight moments of disguise and recognition, and examine the rules of hospitality—who welcomes, who violates them, and why it matters. We will also pay attention to oral features such as repeated phrases, epithets, and type-scenes, and discuss how translation choices shape voice and rhythm.
To support preparation for the discussion, participants will be contacted ahead of the session to ensure they have enough time to read the book in Arabic or English and come ready to engage.
