By Eddie Hampson
The fourth in the series of retellings of Greek mythology.
CLASSICS
Odyssey
Stephen Fry
Michael Joseph $36.99
The mad dash of December is almost over and we’re all racing towards the finish line with a million things on our mind. But once the holidays arrive in late December, there can be nothing but relaxation. Many of us will lock ourselves indoors while others will soak up a tan on the beach, but what we all have in common is that there will be a book in hand – and what better way to massage the mind than by cracking open a familiar favourite or cosy classic.
Stephen Fry satisfies the desire to explore new horizons and the temptation to flick through something grand yet breezy with his retelling of The Odyssey.
Even if you think you don’t, we all do, in fact, know the bare bones of the story of Odysseus’ perilous journey home after the Trojan War. It all (and I do mean almost all) started with that elusive figure Homer and the composition of 12,109 lines of hexameter verse from which we’re still drawing inspiration, and can find the lineage to of art and song all around. But words like “hexameter” can scare people off or just sound like too big a commitment, so this very talky iteration of the epic poem is easy to pick up for those of us who want to sail through the wrath of gods and machinations of men without straining the brain.
Stephen Fry’s Odyssey is informative, light in its touch and a great story.
A very bright-eyed young friend of mine who enjoyed Fry’s Mythos said this about these retellings: “What I like about Fry is that he’s your classic British toff, but he invites you into the club rather than closing the door behind him.” And it’s easy to see how appealing it must be for anyone getting into ancient Greek mythology for the first time when Fry explains that the way we pronounce “Circe” “rhymes with mercy, though a Greek would say it something like ‘Keer-kay’.”
Isn’t it convenient to have a history wiz recount the stories about a cyclops bested by Nobody, men transformed into pigs by a goddess of a witch, or the alluring sirens’ song in a colloquial and contemporary language that is easy to digest? He’s also got supporting notes for you at his fingertips. This is what Fry offers with a retelling anybody can pick up.
Fry’s fourth book on the Greek myths is a little preliminary, a little unpoetic for those already deeply into the classics. Throughout his Odyssey, Fry refers you to his accompanying books Mythos, Heroes and Troy, urging you to delve deeper into the labyrinth of mythology. But at the same time, he resists tempting readers with, in my opinion, grander recommendations such as the 1959 filmed play of Euripides’ Medea starring Australia’s Judith Anderson towering over Jason like a wobbly pillar ready to crash.
And Fry’s prose is a far cry from Christopher Logue’s dazzling 1967 translation of Book 19 of The Iliad that bathes you in poetry: “Rat, / pearl, / onion, / honey: / these colours came before the sun / lifted above the ocean / bringing light / alike to mortals and immortals”.
But there’s so much to enjoy in Stephen Fry’s Odyssey. The humour is light, and the story compels you through each turn of disaster and thrilling plot to escape. Why not sail the Aegean Sea as a hero from the comfort of home?
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