Telemachus
Subject in Books
Telemachus has come up in 2 episodes across 2 podcasts in TMT, including The Rest Is History, The Daily. 2 people have made recorded remarks about it.
What people said
Emily WilsonClassicist and translator, the first woman to translate Homer's Odyssey into English
Wilson says the first four books dwell on Telemachus's isolation, and his journey to manhood arguably remains incomplete once Odysseus returns.
“the son's journey to manhood, which is arguably a not fully complete journey because Odysseus comes back and then Odysseus is the man”
The Daily: What’s Epic About the ‘Odyssey’? Everything. (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 38:28
Madeline MillerAmerican novelist and classics teacher, author of Circe and The Song of Achilles
Miller says Telemachus is hard to connect with because the poem catches him at a moment of youth, anxiety and immaturity.
“the Telemachus we see in that moment in the Odyssey may not be the Telemachus he is his whole life. It's who he is at this moment of anxiety and immaturity, honestly”
The Daily: What’s Epic About the ‘Odyssey’? Everything. (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 37:11
Podcasts
- The Rest Is History · 1 episode
- The Daily · 1 episode
Episodes
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.
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.