The Odyssey

by Zimmerman, Mary

• ISBN13: 9780810120938
• ISBN10: 0810120933
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-11-29
• Publisher: Northwestern Univ Pr

Summary

This dramatic adaptation of Homer's myth begins with a modern young woman who is struggling to understand Robert Fitzgerald's translation of The Odyssey. A classical muse appears, and the young woman becomes the goddess Athena--a tireless advocate for Odysseus in his struggle to get home. With her trademark irreverent and witty twist on classic works, Zimmerman brings to life the story of Odysseus's ten-year journey, depicting his encounters with characters such as Circe, the Cyclops, Poseidon, Calypso, the Sirens, and others.

Author Biography

Mary Zimmerman is a professor of performance studies at Northwestern University. She has adapted-directed Metamorphoses, The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, The Odyssey, The Arabian Nights, Eleven Rooms of Proust, and Journey to the West. Mostly recently she directed and wrote the libretto for Galileo Galilee, the new opera by Philip Glass, which premiered at the Goodman Theatre. In 1998, she was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, and in 2002, she won the Tony Award for Best Director. She has also been awarded the Sarah Siddons Society Great Women of American Theatre Award, the Northwestern Alumnae Award, the Chicago Drama League Award, and many others. Zimmerman is a Manilow Resident Director at the Goodman Theatre and an ensemble member of Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre Company.