The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy

Description

Written by Irish author Pádraic Colum in 1918 and known to many as Children’s Homer, The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy retells the story of the greatest ancient Greek epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey in a language that is easy to comprehend and enjoyable for the youngest readers.

Colum provides an extraordinary re-write of the two Greek epics. The stories flow freely, they are conveyed in language that is easy to read and includes archaic words in a way that allows kids to figure out the meaning of those words on their own. The stories are excellent for striking up interest towards classic narratives, so the book makes a perfect choice for kids from the age of 8. Young readers will find not only stories that feature lots of actions and miracles, but also lots of interesting information about ancient Greek society, making the book suitable for paving the way for other, more complex books about the period.

Padraic Colum was one of the most prominent figures of the Celtic Revival, the cultural movement that proposed to renew popular interest in Celtic culture during the late 19th – early 20th century. Colum was a poet, a novelist, a folklorist, a dramatist and a biographer. He started writing children’s literature after he emigrated to the U.S. in 1914. He first translated folktales from Irish, then his interest widened to include classic Greek literature as well.

Besides The Adventures of Odysseus, Padraic Colum is mostly known today for his rewrites of Norse myths collected in the volume entitled The Children of Odin published in 1920, also a great book to introduce kids to classic stories and mythology. He also published versions of Hawaiian folktales and he also worked with fellow Irishman and novelist James Joyce on the transcription of his extraordinary experimental novel, Finnegan’s Wake.
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