The truth was I didn’t want to rush it any more than I wanted to give up. It’s not long a long book, but reading it still took me the best part of 12 weeks. The author is using many of the same themes and techniques that appear throughout Homer’s Odyssey in the telling of the story of their relationship. Daniel and Jay have a lot to learn about each other and 2. Oh and he doesn’t just sit there politely taking notes, he throws grenades from his little desk on the side of the room, constantly and very deliberately challenging his son’s interpretations.Īs you are reading this classroom drama and learning about one of the most significant works of literature ever written, two things become apparent.

his father.įor reasons that become clear later, the author’s elderly father, Jay (a retired scientist and mathematician), decides to enrol in Daniel’s course. But this semester he has a new student to manage…. He is the kind of professor students dream about: passionate, encouraging, knowledgeable but also genuinely open to new perspectives on the poem he has spent his life researching. I read a book about a father and son and their transformative journey whilst studying Homer’s Odyssey together.ĭaniel Mendelsohn is a 40 something professor delivering a seminar on Homer’s Odyssey at Bard.

Did you know that the word “odyssey” derives from Odysseus, the central character of Homer’s epic Greek poem? Or that the word mentor derives from the character “Mentor” who Odysseus chose to watch over his infant son during the many years he was away?īefore you worry, no I didn’t read Homer’s Odyssey (or pay attention during ancient Greek literature week at School).

An Odyssey by Daniel Mendelsohn