NYT Recommends 2 Books After Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey'
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 17
NYT Recommends 2 Books After Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey'
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 17
Summary
Two follow-up reads lead the list for viewers energized by Christopher Nolan’s new “The Odyssey”: James Joyce’s “Ulysses” and Madeline Miller’s “Circe.”
The recommendations aim to extend Homer’s world in different ways—“Ulysses” recasts the epic as a modernist journey through Dublin, while “Circe” retells the myth from the witch’s perspective.
The article also points readers back to Homer’s original poem, framing Nolan’s Matt Damon-led adaptation as a gateway to both the ancient text and later reinterpretations.
That pitch reflects the film’s premise: Odysseus struggles home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, a story whose characters and themes have fueled retellings for millenniums.