The Odyssey in Ithaca

Odyssey in Ithaca” is a day-long public reading of the entirety of Homer’s Odyssey in a new English translation by Emily Wilson, the first by a woman.  The Odyssey tells the epic tale of one man’s turbulent travels home from war, yet half of the poem takes place once he has already arrived.  “Odyssey in Ithaca” highlights our local connection to Odysseus’s native land and reminds us that so much of the “journey” happens right at home.  

From 8 am to 8 pm in the Groos Family Atrium of Klarman Hall, we will hear this old poem through the diverse voices and faces of today’s Ithaca, amidst ancient statue casts and lunchtime banqueters, with listeners coming and going throughout the day—a modern reimagining of an ancient epic performance.  Readers will include students, faculty, staff, and community members.  This event is the first in the new series, "Arts Unplugged," an initiative of the College Arts & Sciences that seeks to engage the arts in a public way. It is open to the public; audience members are free to attend for any part of the reading at any time of day.  

Light refreshments will be served at from 10-11 a.m. and from 4:30-6 p.m.

Learn more about Emily Wilson's translation. 

Read the New York Times piece on her work.

Chapter schedule:

8:00-8:30 a.m. , Chapter 1: The Boy and the Goddess (105-119)

8:30-8:55 a.m. , Chapter 2: A Dangerous Journey (120-134)

8:55-9:20 a.m. , Chapter 3: An Old King Remembers (135-151)

9:20-10:05 a.m., Chapter 4: What the Sea God Said (152-179)

10:05-10:20 a.m., Break

10:20-10:50 a.m., Chapter 5: From the Goddess to the Storm (180-196)

10:50-11:10 a.m., Chapter 6: A Princess and Her Laundry (197-207)

11:10-11:30 a.m., Chapter 7: A Magical Kingdom (208-219)

11:40 a.m.-12:10 p.m., Chapter 8: The Songs of a Poet (220-239)

12:10-12:40 p.m., Chapter 9: A Pirate in a Shepherd’s Cave (240-258)

12:40-12:55 p.m., Break

12:55-1:25 p.m., Chapter 10: The Winds and the Witch (259-278)

1:25-2:00 p.m., Chapter 11: The Dead (279-300)

2:00-2:25 p.m., Chapter 12: Difficult Choices (301-315)

2:25-2:50 p.m., Chapter 13: Two Tricksters (316-331)

2:50-3:20 p.m., Chapter 14: A Loyal Slave (332-349)

3:20-3:35 p.m., Break

3:35-4:05 p.m., Chapter 15: The Prince Returns (350-368)

4:05-4:30 p.m., Chapter 16: Father and Son (369-385)

4:30-5:00 p.m., Chapter 17: Insults and Abuse (386-407)

5:00-5:20 p.m., Chapter 18: Two Beggars (408-423)

5:20-5:50 p.m., Chapter 19: The Queen and the Beggar (424-444)

5:50-6:00 p.m., Break

6:00-6:20 p.m., Chapter 20: The Last Banquet (445-459)

6:20-6:40 p.m., Chapter 21: An Archery Contest (460-475)

6:40-7:05 p.m., Chapter 22: Bloodshed

7:05-7:25 p.m., Chapter 23: The Olive Tree Bed (494-506)

7:25-7:55 p.m., Chapter 24: Restless Spirits (507-525)