Book description
Published in 1954, John Cowper Powys called this novel, a 'long
romance about Odysseus in his extreme old age, hoisting sail once more
from Ithaca'. As usual there is a large cast of human characters but
Powys also gives life and speech to inanimates such as a stone pillar,
a wooden club,and an olive shoot. The descent to the drowned world of
Atlantis towards the end of the novel is memorably described, indeed,
Powys himself called it 'the best part of the book'. Many of Powys's
themes, such as the benefits of matriarchy, the wickedness of priests
and the evils of modern science which condones vivisection are given
full rein in this odd but compelling work.
