An Odyssey: A Father, A Son and an Epic
- Author Daniel Mendelsohn
- Narrator Bronson Pinchot
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date 7 September 2017
- Run Time 10 hours and 37 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Biography and non-fiction prose, Literature: history and criticism, Memoirs.
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What to expect
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2017
SHORTLISTED FOR THE LONDON HELLENIC PRIZE 2017
WINNER OF THE PRIX MÉDITERRANÉE 2018
From the award-winning, best-selling writer: a deeply moving tale of a father and son’s transformative journey in reading – and reliving – Homer’s epic masterpiece.
When eighty-one-year-old Jay Mendelsohn decides to enrol in the undergraduate seminar on the Odyssey that his son Daniel teaches at Bard College, the two find themselves on an adventure as profoundly emotional as it is intellectual. For Jay, a retired research scientist who sees the world through a mathematician’s unforgiving eyes, this return to the classroom is his ‘one last chance’ to learn the great literature he’d neglected in his youth – and, even more, a final opportunity to understand his son.
But through the sometimes uncomfortable months that follow, as the two men explore Homer’s great work together – first in the classroom, where Jay persistently challenges his son’s interpretations, and then during a surprise-filled Mediterranean journey retracing Odysseus’ legendary voyages – it becomes clear that Daniel has much to learn, too. For Jay’s responses to both the text and the travels gradually uncover long-buried secrets that allow the Daniel to understand his difficult father at last. As this intricately woven memoir builds to its wrenching climax, Mendelsohn’s narrative comes to echo the Odyssey itself, with its timeless themes of deception and recognition, marriage and children, the pleasures of travel and the meaning of home.
Rich with literary and emotional insight, An Odyssey is a renowned writer’s most revelatory entwining yet of personal narrative and literary exploration.
Critics Review
u2018u2018A brilliant family memoir u2026 At its core, it is a funny, loving portrait of a difficult but loving parent: u2026 An Odyssey is a stellar contribution to the genre of memoirs about reading u2013 literary analysis and the personal stories are woven together in a way that feels both artful and natural. A thoughtful book from which non-classicists will learn a great deal about Homer u2026 A funny, loving portrait of a difficult but loving parent: a u201cmuch-turning manu201du2019 Emily Wilson, Guardian
nu2018Combining an in-depth literary analysis with a personal narrative is a bold enterprise. An Odyssey could have been, in the hands of a lesser writer, grandiose. It isnu2019t. It is so well written that every page makes you feel more alert and alive. The brilliance of An Odyssey lies in the insightfulness of the writing, as Mendelsohn immerses himself in the Odyssey: lives it, breathes it, and presses it for meaningu2019 Helen Morales, TLS
nu2018There are a handful of books that have captured the pleasure and romance of this subject. Donna Tarttu2019s was one u2026 this is another. Homer has a phrase for those who can speak bewitchingly: they have u2018winged wordsu2019. Mendelsohn has winged wordsu2019 The Times
nu2018The book enacts a truth that has long been central to Mendelsohnu2019s writing and teaching, which is that the great works of antiquity remain relevant today. His prose flits seamlessly across intervals and registers, switching from erudite exposition one minute to emotion-filled reminiscence the next. An accomplished, brave book that testifies to what is perhaps The Odysseyu2019s most abiding message: that intelligence has little value if it isnu2019t allied to loveu2019 Observer
nu2018An exquisitely written book about fathers and sons, life and griefu2019 Mail on Sunday
nu2018Subtle, profoundly moving u2026 an intricately constructed, multidimensional journey of a father and son and their travails through life and love u2026 A book of shimmering, beautiful, dapple-skilled intelligenceu2019 Adam Nicolson, New York Times Book Review
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