Do I Need to Read the Odyssey Before Ulysses?

The Odyssey is not essential to reading Ulysses. The allusions are there, subtly, but not picking up on them will not make the whole book more difficult (or rather, picking up on them does not make the book any less difficult).

What should I read before Ulysses?

The most important precursor to Ulysses is Joyce's previous novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. This you probably should read before you start. Ulysses picks up the story of Stephen Dedalus where Portrait left off, and a number of other characters carry over as well.

Is Odyssey the same as Ulysses?

Ulysses is the Latin form of the name Odysseus, the hero of Homer's Greek epic poem The Odyssey. The Odyssey is one of the greatest works of classical literature and is one of two epic poems attributed to Homer.