The Sirens and Ulysses The Sirens and Ulysses The Sirens and Ulysses is a large oil painting on canvas by the English artist William Etty, first exhibited in 1837. It depicts the scene from Homer's "Odyssey" in which Ulysses (Odysseus) resists the bewitching song of the Sirens by having his ship's crew tie him up, while they are ordered to block their own ears to prevent themselves from hearing the song. While traditionally the Sirens had been depicted as human–animal chimeras, Etty portrayed them as naked young women, on an island strewn with decaying corpses. The painting divided opinion at the time of its
Wanderings: Chaim Potok's History of the Jews it was "a highly personalized, self-consciously written history of the Jewish people... " that emphasizes "themes which pervade Jewish history: wandering and persecution". However, "Kirkus Reviews" called it "picturesque but amateurish history", and Alan Mintz in "The New York Times" said that "as a work of historical writing, "Wanderings" is a mixed performance". It was also reviewed by the "Chicago Tribune" The Pittsburgh Press, and "Publishers Weekly" In an interview the author said that "the book is about people, not cultural dynamics. I walked through all of these cultures through the books I read, and I tried to translate abstract