Readers describe how Christopher Nolan\u2019s blockbuster has ignited or reawakened their interest in classical literature<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m having a classics summer this year,\u201d says Tommy Maddinson, 26, from London. He\u2019s been inspired by Christopher Nolan\u2019s The Odyssey to delve into the subject, which has involved cinema trips, visits to the British Museum, and reading Homer\u2019s epic before the film\u2019s release. \u201cI managed to finish it the day before. Since then I\u2019ve been reading a few other classical texts and commentaries \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Maddinson is not alone. Thanks to the popularity of Nolan\u2019s film, poetry sales in the UK are on course to reach a record high this year after surpassing \u00a38m during the first 30 weeks of 2026 \u2013 an increase of 13.3% on the same period last year, according to the market researchers NielsenIQ.<\/p>\n
Robert Zoellner, 70, had never read any of the Greek classics because of a \u201cfear\u201d of poetry translations being pretentious and unreadable. \u201cAfter seeing The Odyssey, I decided to try again,\u201d he says. \u201cI saw on Kindle that Emily Wilson\u2019s translations were available. I found out that if I ignored the fact that it was written in verse and just read it as if it were a normal text, I was really enjoying it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI read The Iliad before The Odyssey since it sounds like the proper progression. Agamemnon and Achilles are at each other\u2019s throats, and that\u2019s fun to read about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kerry Lecomber, 56, from Suffolk, has seen The Odyssey three times and says it has \u201creally stoked\u201d her love \u201cof all things ancient Greece\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a place to study classics at age 18 at Leeds University, but it was 1988, and I was far too busy raving and I didn\u2019t get the grades. I\u2019ve always retained a keen interest in the subject. I\u2019ve just started Emily Wilson\u2019s translation of The Odyssey, which my daughter, who studied ancient history at A-level, bought me recently for my birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n
She adds: \u201cI\u2019m now looking into finally doing a degree in classics via the Open University. I\u2019ll have to do it part-time while I work full-time, but I know how much I\u2019ll enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A similar trend can be seen in the US, where print sales of The Odyssey across all editions are up 76% so far this year, according to Circana BookScan figures. Emily Wilson\u2019s translation, published by WW Norton, is the bestselling edition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually watched the film because of all the criticism,\u201d says Kaylee Brent, 32, from Montana, referring to Wilson\u2019s recent critique of the film. The classicist, whose 2017 translation of The Odyssey was cited by Christopher Nolan in early publicity for his adaptation of the poem, said the film \u201chas nothing convincing to say\u201d and \u201clacks psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth\u201d, adding: \u201cIts narrative structure is gimmicky. The writing is abysmal. None of the characters has convincing motivation for their actions or words.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Wilson acknowledged the film\u2019s impact in \u201cbringing audiences back to cinemas\u201d and increasing cultural awareness of ancient Greek literature.<\/p>\n
Brent says: \u201cI hadn\u2019t much been into Greek literature except some required readings as a teen, but it was really the back-and-forth critiques and interpretations of Nolan\u2019s interpretation that convinced me I needed to read The Odyssey and The Iliad. Now I\u2019m even getting into the weeds of translation arguments and having the time of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily Hughes, 33, a charity fundraiser from Cheltenham, says that after seeing the film she \u201cwanted to explore the female characters more\u201d. Before the film came out, she reread The Odyssey (the Emily Wilson translation), which she \u201creally enjoyed\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing out of the cinema, I felt so inspired by how epic it was and wanted to read it again,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my local bookshop, they had a table of books to read if you\u2019ve seen The Odyssey and wanted more,\u201d she says. \u201cI decided to pick up Claire North\u2019s Ithaca, which explores more of what Odysseus\u2019 wife, Penelope, might have been experiencing during his 20 years away. It\u2019s told from the perspective of the goddess Hera, and explores a kingdom ruled by the old, infirm and, most importantly, by women, during such a time. It\u2019s brilliant, and I immediately ordered the next two books in the series after finishing it.\u201d<\/p>\n