Odyssey
Work in Books
Odyssey has come up in 5 episodes across 3 podcasts in TMT, including The Rest Is History, The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Daily. 3 people have made recorded remarks about it.
What people said
Tom HollandEnglish actor cast as Telemachus
Holland says that as a child he loved the Odyssey's violence and Odysseus's murderousness as well as his cunning.
“I loved the violence of it and the murderous quality of Odysseus, as well as the cunning aspect of him”
The Rest Is History: 688. The Odyssey: Return of the King (Part 2) (Jul 15, 2026) · Listen from 1:01:55
Holland notes that Odysseus's claim to be a Cretan is a joke signalling a lie, since Cretans were proverbial liars in antiquity.
“in antiquity, the Cretans were always viewed as notorious liars. So Odysseus is kind of signaling that it's a lie”
The Rest Is History: 688. The Odyssey: Return of the King (Part 2) (Jul 15, 2026) · Listen from 36:05
Holland argues that the Odyssey's ideal of marriage is not Christian but one where households, not individuals, are united.
“this is very much not a Christian ideal of marriage. This is, um, an ideal of marriage in a world in which it is households rather than individuals who are being joined”
The Rest Is History: 688. The Odyssey: Return of the King (Part 2) (Jul 15, 2026) · Listen from 21:41
Holland says the Odyssey is unusual in the emphasis it places on its minor characters, whose deaths the reader feels.
“it is unusual for the emphasis that it places on the minor characters. You kind of come to know them”
The Rest Is History: 687. The Odyssey: Hero of the Trojan Horse (Part 1) (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 1:04:53
Dominic SandbrookBritish historian, author and co-host of The Rest Is History
Sandbrook observes that the savagery of the Odyssey is often omitted from children's versions.
“there's a savagery to it that's often lost in children's versions I think”
The Rest Is History: 688. The Odyssey: Return of the King (Part 2) (Jul 15, 2026) · Listen from 1:02:07
Emily WilsonClassicist and translator, the first woman to translate Homer's Odyssey into English
Wilson argues the Odyssey is not merely a children's adventure story but a psychologically deep work about grief, rage and loss.
“It's not just a kid's adventure story. It also has so much to say about these really deep questions about grief and rage and loss and whether full recovery or going back in time is ever possible”
The Daily: What’s Epic About the ‘Odyssey’? Everything. (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 5:18
Coverage over time
Podcasts
- The Rest Is History · 3 episodes
- The Bill Simmons Podcast · 1 episode
- The Daily · 1 episode
Episodes
Messi Takes England Out of the World Cup, Plus Preparing for Christopher Nolan’s 'The Odyssey' With Ian Wright, Anthony Dabbundo, and Sean FennesseyThe Bill Simmons Podcast · Jul 16, 2026 · 1 h 51 min
Guest host Chris Ryan discusses England's World Cup semifinal loss to Argentina with Ian Wright, previews the Spain–Argentina final with Anthony Dabbundo, and talks Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' with Sean Fennessey.
688. The Odyssey: Return of the King (Part 2)The Rest Is History · Jul 15, 2026 · 1 h 6 min
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook retell the second half of Homer's Odyssey, from Telemachus's journey and Calypso's island to the slaughter of the suitors and reunion with Penelope.
- 687. The Odyssey: Hero of the Trojan Horse (Part 1)
The Rest Is History · Jul 12, 2026 · 1 h 12 min
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook retell the first half of Homer's Odyssey, from Troy's fall to Calypso's island, and probe its roots in Greek colonisation.
What’s Epic About the ‘Odyssey’? Everything.The Daily · Jul 12, 2026 · 51 min
Natalie Kitroeff talks with translator Emily Wilson and novelist Madeline Miller about the Odyssey ahead of Christopher Nolan's film adaptation.
- 666. Wine and the Birth of Civilisation
The Rest Is History · May 3, 2026 · 1 h 16 min
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook trace the history of wine through seven key moments, from Neolithic Georgia and Rome to Islam, English bottles, French terroir and the 1976 Judgement of Paris.