An Odyssey A Father A Son And An Epic

When eightyoneyearold Jay Mendelsohn decides to enrol in the undergraduate seminar on the Odyssey that his son Daniel teaches at Bard College the two find themselves on an adventure as profoundly emotional as it is intellectual. For Jay a retired research scientist who sees the world through a mathematicians unforgiving eyes this return to the classroom is his one last chance to learn about the great literature hed neglected in his youth and even more a final opportunity to understand his son. But through the sometimesuncomfortable months that follow as the two men explore Homers great work together first in the classroom where Jay persistently challenges his sons interpretations and then during a surprisefilled Mediterranean journey retracing Odysseus legendary voyages it becomes clear that Daniel has much to learn too for Jays responses to both the text and the travels gradually uncover longburied secrets that allow the son to understand his difficult father at last. As this intricately woven memoir builds to its wrenching climax Mendelsohns narrative comes to echo The Odyssey itself with its timeless themes of deception and recognition marriage and children the pleasures of travel and the meaning of home. Rich with literary and emotional insight An Odyssey is a renowned authorscholars most revelatory entwining yet of personal narrative and literary exploration.