Jeff Wright on Homer, Nolan, and The Odyssey
Storyteller Jeff Wright talks about 3,000 years of appreciation for Homer and Christopher Nolan's new cinematic interpretation of The Odyssey
Why is a post about ancient history showing up in a futurist podcast? As I mentioned in the very first episode of Seldon Crisis, The Psychohistorians, I’ve always been fascinated by deep time — from the origins of life to the far future of intelligence. That fascination extends to Greek myth and Homer.
About a decade ago I discovered Jeff Wright’s Trojan War: The Podcast, and listened raptly to every episode — from the divine beauty contest on Olympus to the fall of Troy. His follow-up, Odyssey: The Podcast, hooked me just as thoroughly.
It’s my pleasure to share this conversation with Jeff about his life as a modern bard — and his take on Christopher Nolan’s new film treatment of the epic.
Here are a few snippets of Jeff’s interview to entice you to listen to the whole thing:
"I really have no problems with anything that Nolan did. He had to make an Odyssey, and he made an Odyssey. And as far as I'm concerned, the conversation about Odysseus and these stories is 3,000 years old, and Nolan's is just another contribution to the conversation."
"We have characters like this all over our popular imagination — Tony Soprano, Walter White, Dexter Morgan. Charming one moment, stabbing you in the back the next. And I think that's Odysseus."
"So far in this journey we have killed 600 men in horrifying ways and you haven't shed a tear yet. And now we kill one old dog and you're bawling."
🎧 Listen to the full episode →
Jeff has recently released The Full Disclosure Iliad, a full novelized account of the Trojan War cycle including events before and after those that are covered by Homer in his two classic works.
If this conversation has you wanting more of his voice, his official website has links to the two podcasts and more information about his new book and a link to purchase.