A new film by director Christopher Nolan is always a major event, but excitement is running especially high for his star-studded adaptation of The Odyssey, with its tales of monsters, witches, and lovers tested by separation. It's not the first version of the story to hit the screens, but it's likely to become definitive. Whether you've read this foundational classic before or not, there is a whole world of related books you may enjoy.
Let's start with the text itself, which we know many will be eager to read. Composed in ancient Greek nearly three thousand years ago, this epic about the famously wily hero has received many esteemed translations into English. I read the classic Robert Fagles translation of The Odyssey years ago, and it remains an excellent option, but there are some exciting recent options to choose from as well. Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey has been celebrated as a modern masterpiece for its unbiased perspective and its concise and graceful achievement in poetic structure. You might also consider Daniel Mendelsohn's translation of The Odyssey, published by the University of Chicago Press. Mendelsohn is a renowned scholar, critic and writer deeply versed in this ancient text. His book An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic was one of our favorite books of 2017, and his approach to this ancient text contrasts nicely with Wilson's approach.
But, as Marvel movie detractors often lament, movies shouldn't come with homework. Don't feel required to read the source in order to enjoy the movie or to delve into the story. There are more modern ways to get in on the fun, and one of my favorites is through retellings, which can be more enjoyable than the originals depending on your taste. In fact, some landmark classic of literature in English were at least partly inspired by The Odyssey, including Ulysses by James Joyce (Ulysses is a Latin variant of the name Odysseus), and As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner.
There are many contemporary reimaginings of the story, but two really paved the way for the more recent wave of retellings. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier (itself adapted into a movie) tells the story of a soldier journeying home to his beloved during the American Civil War. And The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood made the radical move of telling the story from the point of view of Penelope, wife to Odysseus. Not as widely read as that pair, one of my favorite Homeric retellings is The Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason, a postmodern take which imagines dozens of variations on the events of The Odyssey.
That brings us to the more recent (and biggest) wave of retellings which were kicked off by Madeline Miller with her magnificent retellings, The Song of Achilles, a retelling based on The Iliad, and Circe, which reimagines the life of a witch from The Odyssey who is banished by the gods to exile on an island that Odysseus later visits. After Miller's enormous success, this publishing niche exploded. If you enjoy contemporary mythological retellings, there are many more to explore. Check out our lists:
What are your favorite books related to The Odyssey?
Add a comment to: Books for Fans of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey