Hitchin Book Club

NOTE FOR NEW MEMBERS: We tend to sit at the tables near the TV (but we may also be outside if it is summer). If you can't see us, please wait at the bar, and we will come and show you where we are sitting. Please don't ask the bar staff where we are sitting, as they don't know who we are.

Hitchin Book Club invites you to join us for some light-hearted discussions. This event is a great introduction to the book club (especially if you have never been to a book club before). We always welcome new members regardless of their level of reading experience.

• Book Name: The Odyssey
• Book Author: Homer
• Translator: Emily Wilson (though you may read a different translation if you wish)
• Genre: Epic Poem
• Published: 2017
• Page Count: 656
• Read Time Estimate: 11h
• Date: Wednesday 16th September 2026
• Start Time: 19:30
• End Time: approx. 21:30-22:00
• Location: The Albert Inn, 50 Walsworth Rd, Hitchin SG4 9SU - sitting at one of the tables inside or outside. I will post in the comments any updates to the location.

Structure:
• Brief introduction and what you thought about the book
• Discussions based on a set of pre-prepared questions as prompts
• 10 to 15 minute break halfway through, option to join the WhatsApp group
• Opportunity to ask any questions to the group
• Closing thoughts and provide a rating for the book out of 10
• Confirm details for next month's book
• Book club formally ends - feel free to leave or stick around for general conversations

About the book (from Wikipedia)
The Odyssey is a 2017 translation of Homer's Odyssey, an ancient Greek epic poem, by British-American classicist Emily Wilson. It was published by W. W. Norton & Company. Wilson's translation is the first complete published translation of the poem into English by a woman.
Wilson, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, preserved the original Homeric Greek's line count and reflected its traditional dactylic hexameter by employing the traditional English iambic pentameter. Her translation uses simple syntax in modern English.
Critical reception was largely positive. Charlotte Higgins described it as a "cultural landmark". Reviewers praised Wilson's fresh interpretation and her representation of the poem's female characters. Many critics said Wilson's translation corrected anachronistic or euphemistic language used by other translators. The language and storytelling were commended and its meter was widely described as musical. Some critics highlighted the poem's accessibility compared to previous translations while others felt Wilson deviated too far from the original text.