Odysseus: A Verse Tragedy

Nikos Kazantzakis, a giant of world literature and Nobel Prize nominee, reimagines an enduring
epic. This is a tragic play about the Ancient Greek warrior-king Odysseus, and a prequel to Nikos
Kazantzakis’s epic poem “The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel,” inspired by Homer’s “The Odyssey.”
According to Joel Christensen, Professor, Department of Classical Studies, Brandeis University:
“This play by Nikos Kazantzakis blends ancient myth and modern imagination in the exploration
of the disappointment of homecoming. In engaging with Greek drama, it continues the tragic
stage’s grand tradition of rethinking epic narratives and their values. It is a compelling and
powerful read in a class with other modern reimaginings of Homer’s “Odyssey,” like Margaret
Atwood's “Penelopiad” or Madeline Miller’s “Circe.” Kostas Myrsiades’s translation is a great
service to the English-speaking world.”