They are among the oldest masterpieces of world literature: the Iliad and the Odyssey. The powerful narrative art of Homer and the thematic richness of both continue to fascinate to this day. In the Iliad, the first great poet of Europe depicts the story of the conquest of Troy. The Odyssey, which has become a proverbial phrase, tells of Odysseus's journey, which begins in Troy and ends in Ithaca after countless perilous adventures. In a grand finale, he frees his faithful wife Penelope from the clutches of her suitors and celebrates his reunion with his son Telemachus.