When this ground-breaking serialized dramatization premiered on 320 U.S. radio stations, critics were unanimous in their praise, calling it "a feast for the ears" and "a magnificent blend of scholarship and showmanship." It won numerous honors including the George Foster Peabody Award, the Pulitzer Prize of broadcasting. Never before or since has such an ambitious undertaking been attempted in public radio, and it was accomplished, not by a major network, but by a small non-profit independent producer in Chicago. That was in 1981. It has been sitting on the shelf ever since.
Now, twenty-two years after its first airing, Blackstone is pleased to rescue this outstanding production from undeserved obscurity. These recordings have been mastered from unaltered air-checks of the original broadcasts. Here is all the drama, poetry and excitement of Homer brought to life by skilled actors. For the fullest appreciation and understanding, each of the eight episodes is accompanied by a brief documentary illuminating a key aspect of ancient culture or Homeric art.
This is the story of a man, a hero, who inhabits three worlds: first of all, the world of his own reality --his wife, his son, his home; secondly, the world of myth in which gods and demigods sport and battle; and finally, the world of sorcerers and monsters, of magic and ghosts and unspeakable terrors. The exploration and interweaving of these three worlds contribute significantly to the delight that The Odyssey's audience has experienced throughout the ages. |
