The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel

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The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel is an

epic poem by Greek poet and philosopher Nikos Kazantzakis, based on Homer's Odyssey.[1] It is divided into twenty-four rhapsodies as is the original Odyssey and consists of 33,333 17-syllable verses. Kazantzakis began working on it in 1924 after he returned to Crete from Germany. Before finally publishing the poem in 1938 he had drafted seven different versions. Kazantzakis considered this his most important work. It was fully translated into English in 1958 by Kimon Friar.[2]

Synopsis

Buddha), Kapetán Énas (English: Captain Sole, literally "Captain One", a Greek folk expression for people who are insubordinate and single-minded to a fault), alias Don Quixote, and an African village fisherman, alias Jesus. He travels further south in Africa while constantly spreading his religion and fighting the advances of death. Eventually he travels to Antarctica
and lives with villagers for a year until an iceberg kills him. His death is glorious as it marks his rebirth and unification with the world.

Themes

The Odyssey represents Kazantzakis' ideology and metaphysical concerns. A central theme is the importance of struggle for its own sake, as opposed to reaching a final goal.

References

External links