What is The Odyssey actually about — and why has it survived for nearly 3,000 years?

Christopher Gribbin joins me to explore Homer’s Odyssey, the complicated character of Odysseus, and the world of ancient Greece behind one of the most enduring stories ever told.

We discuss what we can and can’t know about Homer, whether there may be historical truth behind the Trojan War, and why translation changes the way we experience the poem. Christopher also shares his take on Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey: what the film gets right, what it changes, and why the gods matter so much in Homer’s original.

Along the way, we get into moral ambiguity, homecoming, ancient Greek religion, and the things modern audiences often misunderstand about the civilisation that produced these stories.