Odysseus: A Life

"In this book, classicist Charles Beye imagines a biography of the fictional Bronze Age hero, and puts his unique spin on Odysseus' strange and adventuresome existence. With tremendous wit and insight, Beye portrays the character's remarkable evolution, chronicling his life from start to finish. And an amazing life it is: from his boyhood as an indulged lad in his father's palace to his ten long years of bitter fighting at Troy; from his subsequent encounters with a variety of creatures seemingly from the land of fairy tale (such as the Lotus Eaters, the Cyclops, and the witch Circe) to his sexual escapades with the sea nymph Calypso on the island of Ogygia; and from his ultimate return to Ithaca and dramatic killing of the suitors surrounding his wife to his oddly anticlimatic final years." "But Beye does more than just tell the facts of Odysseus' life. He delves into the psychological complexities of this enigmatic individual and examines his motives and character. Beye's account reads like a modern novel. Furthermore, it is filled with interesting facts about the texture of life in the second millennium BCE, as well as fascinating analogies and references to our own era. Beye's treatment glows with a distinct humor and wisdom. With Odysseus: A Life, he casts new light on one of the great figures of the Western imagination."--Jacket.