Review: The Lost Books of the Odyssey

The Lost Books of the Odyssey
Zachary Mason
2010

'After ten years' journeying Odysseus returns, again and again, to Ithaca. Each time he finds something different: his patient wife Penelope has betrayed him and married; his arrival accelerates time and he watches his family age and die in front of him; he walks into an empty house in ruins; he returns but is so bored he sets sail again to repeat his voyage; he comes back to find Penelope is dead.'

The Lost Books of the Odyssey was one of the purchases I allowed myself in the Shakespeare and Company bookshop when I went to Paris at New Year. It was a tad random as I'd never even heard of it before but, as every lit nerd will attest, when in a bookshop EVERY book looks good. As is usually the case, this random purchase really paid off as it is a brilliant book. 

The book comprises of forty-four re-tellings of sections of Homer's Odyssey. There are several different versions of Odysseus's return as well as alternative versions of Circe, the Cyclops, the war and the Trojan Horse. 'Blindness' is one of the most memorable for me as it tells the story of the Cyclops from his own point of view and he seems such a sweetie. I love how the chapter ends: 'Sometimes I think that I am grateful, that sight would be a distraction.'

'The Iliad of Odysseus' suggests that Odysseus made it all up. In this alternative, the war is disastrous, Odysseus is effeminate, he escapes/runs away, becomes a bard and makes up all the stories of the Iliad along the way. I've been doing some work on storytelling and this really made me think about the reliability of stories and the affect of oral storytelling on an original story. Things like how stories can change depending on who tells them because of the way individual insecurities become visible through fiction. I always like it when something I'm reading makes me think (got to get those cogs whirring somehow).

The language is really quite stunning, so much so that it didn't bother me that I had to look up a fair number in a dictionary (I usually don't like being faced with my own stupidity).  At times the sentences were a bit complex which made some of the re-tellings hard going but it general the writing is lovely.  Overall, though, it is a very readable book and will be a treat for anyone who is fascinated by The Odyssey. I found myself trying to recall sections of The Odyssey to match them to the re-telling and see what he changed (hours of fun for any nerd).  

I did a quick amazon search of this book (as you do) and Ransom by David Malouf popped up in the 'you may also like' section. Ransom apparently shines new light on the Iliad, adding 'twists and reflections'. I rather like the sound of it. I read Malouf's Remembering Babylon at uni and I recall rather enjoying it so with any luck, I'll enjoy this one too. Needless to say, it was promptly added to the wish list.

EDIT: I just flicked back through the book and found a brilliant line I had meant to put in this review. I actually chuckled uncontrollably when I read this (at the time I was tucking into a veggie burger and a usually harmless piece of tomato lodged in my throat causing uncontrollable coughing. I dread to think what the people in the cafe thought of me). It is such an amazing example of literary innuendo. I think it will particularly tickle the innuendo-ridden mind of Jess at The Art Grad. So here it is: 'he was innocent of clothing and evidently male'. Wonderful.

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