Free classics · c. 8th century BC
The Odyssey
Homer · translated by Samuel Butler
Ten years after the Trojan War, one man is still trying to get home, and everyone from gods to monsters is in the way.
- to read
- 9 h
- to read
- at 20 min a day
- 28 days
- at 20 min a day
- public domain
- Free
- public domain
What it’s about
Odysseus has been missing for years. At home, his wife Penelope holds off a crowd of suitors and his son goes looking for news. Meanwhile Odysseus tells of the Cyclops, the Sirens, the witch Circe and a trip to the underworld.
The free Butler translation is in prose, which makes it far easier to read than verse versions.
- Home and homecoming
- Cleverness over strength
- Loyalty
“Tell me, O Muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy.”
Why people stop, and how to finish
The first four books follow the son, Telemachus, not Odysseus, and the many gods and their family ties can be confusing.
What helps: If you want the adventures first, start at book nine, then go back. It works both ways.
At 20 minutes a day you’ll reach the last page in about 28 days.
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