An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic

In An Odyssey (Knopf), classicist Daniel Mendelsohn *94’s father, at age 81, decides to audit his course on Homer’s Odyssey. The retired research scientist frustrates his son as he challenges his literary interpretations in class, but when the pair decide to take a cruise that retraces Odysseus’ path, the father and son gain a new understanding of each other.