‘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

- ‘An Odyssey’ twines an ongoing reading of the most popular and beloved work of Greek literature—the Odyssey, with its irresistible tales of travel and adventure, and its eternal themes of transformed identities and climactic recognitions—around a personal narrative of a father-son story. - The book is based on a popular April 2012 article in TRAVEL & LEISURE. - Homer is considered the greatest ancient Greek epic poet, and together the Iliad and the Odyssey form the cornerstone of the Western Canon. - Mendelsohn is an acclaimed leading classicist and academic, whose writing on Western culture, from Virgil to Battlestar Galactica, is modern, surprising and witty. There will be strong interest with blanket review coverage. - For readers of ‘The Mighty Dead’ (35k), ‘How Proust Can Change Your Life’ (79k TCM), Robert Macfarlane (300k TCM), H is For Hawk (240k), Edmund de Waal (408K TCM) and Tom Holland (416k).