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An Odyssey: A Father, A Son and an Epic: SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2017 - Hardcover

 
9780007545124: An Odyssey: A Father, A Son and an Epic: SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2017
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SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2017

SHORTLISTED FOR THE LONDON HELLENIC PRIZE 2017

WINNER OF THE PRIX MÉDITERRANÉE 2018

From the award-winning, best-selling writer: a deeply moving tale of a father and son s transformative journey in reading and reliving Homer s epic masterpiece.

When eighty-one-year-old Jay Mendelsohn decides to enrol in the undergraduate seminar on the Odyssey that his son Daniel teaches at Bard College, the two find themselves on an adventure as profoundly emotional as it is intellectual. For Jay, a retired research scientist who sees the world through a mathematician s unforgiving eyes, this return to the classroom is his one last chance to learn the great literature he d neglected in his youth and, even more, a final opportunity to understand his son.

But through the sometimes uncomfortable months that follow, as the two men explore Homer s great work together first in the classroom, where Jay persistently challenges his son s interpretations, and then during a surprise-filled Mediterranean journey retracing Odysseus legendary voyages it becomes clear that Daniel has much to learn, too. For Jay s responses to both the text and the travels gradually uncover long-buried secrets that allow the Daniel to understand his difficult father at last. As this intricately woven memoir builds to its wrenching climax, Mendelsohn s narrative comes to echo the Odyssey itself, with its timeless themes of deception and recognition, marriage and children, the pleasures of travel and the meaning of home.

Rich with literary and emotional insight, An Odyssey is a renowned writer s most revelatory entwining yet of personal narrative and literary exploration.

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Review:

A brilliant family memoir ... At its core, it is a funny, loving portrait of a difficult but loving parent: ... An Odyssey is a stellar contribution to the genre of memoirs about reading literary analysis and the personal stories are woven together in a way that feels both artful and natural. A thoughtful book from which non-classicists will learn a great deal about Homer ... A funny, loving portrait of a difficult but loving parent: a much-turning man Emily Wilson, Guardian

Combining an in-depth literary analysis with a personal narrative is a bold enterprise. An Odyssey could have been, in the hands of a lesser writer, grandiose. It isn t. It is so well written that every page makes you feel more alert and alive. The brilliance of An Odyssey lies in the insightfulness of the writing, as Mendelsohn immerses himself in the Odyssey: lives it, breathes it, and presses it for meaning Helen Morales, TLS

There are a handful of books that have captured the pleasure and romance of this subject. Donna Tartt s was one ... this is another. Homer has a phrase for those who can speak bewitchingly: they have winged words . Mendelsohn has winged words The Times

The book enacts a truth that has long been central to Mendelsohn s writing and teaching, which is that the great works of antiquity remain relevant today. His prose flits seamlessly across intervals and registers, switching from erudite exposition one minute to emotion-filled reminiscence the next. An accomplished, brave book that testifies to what is perhaps The Odyssey s most abiding message: that intelligence has little value if it isn t allied to love Observer

An exquisitely written book about fathers and sons, life and grief Mail on Sunday

Subtle, profoundly moving ... an intricately constructed, multidimensional journey of a father and son and their travails through life and love ... A book of shimmering, beautiful, dapple-skilled intelligence Adam Nicolson, New York Times Book Review

--Times Book Review

About the Author:

Daniel Mendelsohn was born in Long Island and educated at the University of Virginia and at Princeton. He is a frequent contributor to the New York Review of Books as well as the New York Times Magazine and the New York Times Book Review, and is contributing editor at Travel + Leisure. His previous books include the memoir The Elusive Embrace , a New York Times Notable Book and a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year, and the international best seller The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million , which won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Prix Médicis, and many other honours. He teaches at Bard College.

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  • PublisherWilliam Collins
  • Publication date2017
  • ISBN 10 0007545126
  • ISBN 13 9780007545124
  • BindingHardcover
  • Number of pages304
  • Rating

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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. When Mendelsohn was preparing to teach an undergraduate seminar on Homer?s Odyssey his 81-year-old father asked to join the classes. In this combination of memoir and literary criticism, the two men explore the epic together and take a Mediterranean cruise to follow in Odysseus? footsteps. Through the ancient poem?s timeless themes the classicist and retired research scientist come to know each other better and gradually uncover long-buried secrets about their own family relationships. Seller Inventory # 510889

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