Which Odyssey Translation Should You Read?
Real, currently-published English translations compared — plus the free public-domain one you can start reading on this site right now.
Short answer: Emily Wilson's translation (Norton) is the most acclaimed recent version — written in fast-moving iambic pentameter verse in a vivid, contemporary idiom, and the first complete published translation of Homer by a woman. Robert Fagles's free-verse Penguin Classics translation has been the standard general-reader recommendation for decades and is what many university courses assign. Robert Fitzgerald's translation, in continuous print since 1961, has a more formal, elevated register that many readers and teachers still prefer. If you want to read it tonight for free, Samuel Butler's 1900 prose translation (the one on this site) is plain, fast, and complete.
| Translator | Edition | Style | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Butler FREE |
1900, public domain (widely reprinted) | Plain prose, not verse — fast and straightforward, but loses Homer's meter and formulaic epic phrasing | First-time readers who want to start today, for free, and just follow the story |
| Emily Wilson | W. W. Norton, 2018, ISBN 978-0-393-35625-0 | Iambic pentameter verse, vivid and contemporary; the first complete published translation by a woman | Readers who want the most acclaimed and widely-discussed modern translation |
| Robert Fagles | Penguin Classics, ISBN 978-0-14-026886-7 | Muscular free verse, praised for readability; the long-standing default recommendation | General readers and most university survey courses |
| Robert Fitzgerald | Farrar, Straus and Giroux, ISBN 978-0-374-52574-3 | Formal, elevated verse register; in continuous print since 1961 | Readers and teachers who prefer a more classical, less colloquial tone |
Samuel Butler (1900) — read it free right now
Butler rendered The Odyssey as straightforward English prose rather than verse, which makes it one of the fastest, easiest ways to read the whole story for free. It loses Homer's meter and some of the epic's formulaic repetition, but it's a real, complete, accurate translation that costs nothing to start reading.
Emily Wilson (W. W. Norton)
Wilson's 2018 translation was the first complete published English Odyssey by a woman, written in a regular five-beat verse line she chose specifically to move at the pace of ordinary speech. It was widely reviewed for how directly and freshly it reads compared to earlier verse translations, and it's the edition most likely to come up in any current discussion of the poem.
Robert Fagles (Penguin Classics)
Fagles's translation, with an introduction by classicist Bernard Knox, has been the edition most commonly assigned in classrooms and recommended to general readers since it was published — praised for its energetic, readable free verse that keeps the story moving without sacrificing the poem's scale.
Robert Fitzgerald (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Fitzgerald's translation has sold millions of copies since 1961 and remains a favorite among readers and teachers who want a more formal, classically elevated register than Fagles's or Wilson's more contemporary phrasing — a deliberately different reading experience of the same poem.
As an Amazon Associate, MyBookPDF earns from qualifying purchases. The Odyssey is free to read in the Butler translation on this site; the other editions are paid and the links above are optional.
Translator, publisher, and ISBN details checked against publisher and retailer listings, September 2026. Publishers periodically issue new print runs of the same translation under new cover editions; the ISBNs above identify the specific edition described.
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