The Odyssey

The Trojan War is over, but for Odysseus the hard part is just beginning. Ten years of fighting have earned him nothing but a longer road home, one that winds past a man-eating Cyclops, a sorceress who turns sailors into pigs, the deadly song of the Sirens, and a goddess who would rather keep him on her island forever. Every landfall is a test of the one weapon he trusts: his wits.

Meanwhile, back on Ithaca, his wife Penelope holds off a houseful of arrogant suitors who have decided the king is dead and his throne is up for grabs, while his son Telemachus sets out to learn whether his father is legend or corpse. Homer braids the two stories toward one of the most satisfying homecomings ever told. This is a poem that was performed aloud for centuries before anyone wrote it down, and hearing it is the original way to experience it.

At roughly 119,600 words, The Odyssey runs about 13½ hours at 1x narration speed. That figure is an estimate based on a typical narration pace. The exact length depends on the voice and the playback speed you choose.

The Odyssey is in the public domain, so the complete text is free on Project Gutenberg and LoudReader has the entire Project Gutenberg catalog built in. To listen:

1. Download LoudReader for Mac or iPhone (free, no account).
2. Search for “The Odyssey” in the built-in catalog and add it to your library.
3. Press play. A natural offline voice reads the book while each word highlights on screen, and your place is saved between sessions.

LoudReader reads with natural offline voices, so the whole book works on a plane or underground. It is fully on-device and private, your library never leaves your device. Listening is unlimited on the free tier.