"The Odyssey" by Homer is an epic poem composed around the 8th or 7th century BC. It follows Odysseus, king of Ithaca, on his perilous ten-year journey home after the Trojan War. While he battles mythical dangers and loses all his crewmen, his wife Penelope and son Telemachus face aggressive suitors at home who presume him dead. This ancient Greek masterpiece explores themes of homecoming, hospitality, and testing, and remains one of the most significant works of Western literature.