Ulysses

[laika]

as in " the tales of brave ", seem to remember in the long and distant path reading some of it , but dont think i ever finished it .

I think we have at the very least:
The Odyssey: poem by Homer about the voyage of Odysseus (romanised as Ulysses) returning from Troy
Ulysses: Novel by James Joyce structured around the Odyssey
Tales of Brave Ulysses: Song written by Martin Sharp (who knew?) on Cream's Disraeli Gears and notably featured in a couple of Buffy episodes (the latter to great emotional effect)
2001: A Space Odyssey: Not really anything to do with Odysseus. According to wikipedia Kubrick (not clarke) chose the name to sort of give it a bit of gravitas
Ulysses: Poem by Tennyson, about Odysseus/Ulysses back in Ithaca towards the end of his life
Odyssey: American disco band who had a hit with "Native New Yorker" in the 80s

The Ulysses under discussion I am unqualified to comment on as I've spent my adult life with people telling me that it's only worth reading to say you've read it but this thread has made me think perhaps I should dip my toe into Dubliners.

If this thread is sufficiently stalled as to permit some drift, if you've never read the Odyssey (or rather, if like me you don't read ancient greek, a translation) I'd strongly recommend giving it a go. Perhaps my memory of it being exciting and easy to read for an ancient classic was coloured by having read it right after the Iliad which was considerably weightier. It's obviously somewhat boaty and particularly suited to reading whilst on a charter anywhere between the coast of turkey and the ionian. The casual reader might want to skip the Iliad and re-watch the movie Troy instead before tackling the Odyssey. I'm surprised they never made The Odyssey into a big budget sequel to Troy. In fact at the end of Troy they seemed to be setting up the Aeneid as a possible sequel. I'd be interested in other opinions but the Aeneid struck me as largely a load of Roman propaganda, though obviously it's recently paid dividends with being the source for a couple of test and trace gags no-one got.

If folks have never read Tennyson's Ulysses, it's relatively short and may be somewhat apropos for sailors in the autumn of their years who still have wanderlust:
Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson | Poetry Foundation

I think we can forget about the disco band, but obviously not this:

 

[Poignard]

I think we have at the very least:
The Odyssey: poem by Homer about the voyage of Odysseus (romanised as Ulysses) returning from Troy
Ulysses: Novel by James Joyce structured around the Odyssey
Tales of Brave Ulysses: Song written by Martin Sharp (who knew?) on Cream's Disraeli Gears and notably featured in a couple of Buffy episodes (the latter to great emotional effect)
2001: A Space Odyssey: Not really anything to do with Odysseus. According to wikipedia Kubrick (not clarke) chose the name to sort of give it a bit of gravitas
Ulysses: Poem by Tennyson
Odyssey: American disco band who had a hit with "Native New Yorker" in the 80s

The Ulysses under discussion I am unqualified to comment on as I've spent my adult life with people telling me that it's only worth reading to say you've read it but this thread has made me think perhaps I should dip my toe into Dubliners.

If this thread is sufficiently stalled as to permit some drift, if you've never read the Odyssey (or rather, if like me you don't read ancient greek, a translation) I'd strongly recommend giving it a go. Perhaps my memory of it being exciting and easy to read for an ancient classic was coloured by having read it right after the Iliad which was considerably weightier. It's obviously somewhat boaty. The casual reader might want to skip the Iliad and re-watch the movie Troy instead before tackling the Odyssey. I'm surprised they never made The Odyssey into a big budget sequel to Troy. In fact at the end of Troy they seemed to be setting up the Aeneid as a possible sequel. I'd be interested in other opinions but the Aeneid struck me as largely a load of Roman propaganda, though obviously it's recently paid dividends with being the source for a couple of test and trace gags no-one got.

If folks have never read Tennyson's Ulysses, it's relatively short and may be somewhat apropos for sailors in the autumn of their years who still have wanderlust:
Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson | Poetry Foundation

I think we can forget about the disco band, but obviously not this:

'

I am really enjoying my current Audible book, "The Dubliners", perfectly narrated by T.P. McKenna.

 

[chriss999]

To Laika’s list we can add the poem Ulysses by Robert Graves, which analyses Ulysses’ attitudes to women - and probably the poet’s as well.

 

[mattonthesea]

Talking about this the other day.

I read it as student. I found it an hypnotic read but I didn't understand much of it. But after discussion and reading around it I found it an enjoyable memory. Then I picked three chapters to study in depth (exam technique). Now 40 years on all I can remember is the kidney thoughts while peeing, the cyclops bigot who could not see alternative views, Mentor and the Italian argument and, of course, Molly's (one sentence?) soliloquy. Doesn't it end 'Yes'?

It's ready to take on after Moby Dick and Tami Double Barrel (Adrift)

 

[paulobooo]

It was hard for me to read, but then started using an audiobook and just listened in the car

 

[ianc1200]

"I am really enjoying my current Audible book, "The Dubliners", perfectly narrated by T.P. McKenna".

Somewhere I've got an Irish film of Ulysses, starring T.P.Mckeena

T.P.Mckenna has been on one of the free channels a lot lately in the last series of Callan - playing the master Russian assassinator Richmond - but our Callan sorted him out after about 5 episodes.

 

[saab96]

You could try Homer's version - it's a good and easy read. Or go straight to Tennyson (he reads like he wrote many of the YBW posts).

It little profits that an idle king,
By this still hearth, among these barren crags,
Match'd with an aged wife, I mete and dole
Unequal laws unto a savage race,
That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.
I cannot rest from travel: I will drink
Life to the lees; all times I have enjoy'd
Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those
That loved me, and alone; on shore, and when
Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
Vext the dim sea: I am become a name;
For always roaming with a hungry heart

But if you want to read Joyce start with Portrait of an Artist and perhaps dont go on from there

 

[saab96]

You could try Homer's version - it's a good and easy read. Or go straight to Tennyson (he reads like he wrote many of the YBW posts).

It little profits that an idle king,
By this still hearth, among these barren crags,
Match'd with an aged wife, I mete and dole
Unequal laws unto a savage race,
That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.
I cannot rest from travel: I will drink
Life to the lees; all times I have enjoy'd
Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those
That loved me, and alone; on shore, and when
Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
Vext the dim sea: I am become a name;
For always roaming with a hungry heart

But if you want to read Joyce start with Portrait of an Artist and perhaps dont go on from there

If its an Irish novel you want try "At Swim-Two-Birds" by Flan O'Brien. Easier than Ulysses. Funnier than almost anything else you'll read. Great characters. And all with what the English think of as back-to-front logic. You might have to read the whole book before you figure out the title. 5*s.