Homer vs. Hollywood: Discussing Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey with Daniel Mendelsohn

You’ve seen the movie, you’ve read the fiery tweets and Instagram posts—now, you can discuss Christopher Nolan’s polarizing blockbuster adaptation of the Odyssey with our expert Daniel Mendelsohn, Editor-at-Large of The New York Review and author of the most recent translation of Homer’s epic. In this special hour-long edition of NYRSeminars, Mendelsohn will outline his judgment of the film, which he reviewed at length for the Review, and then open the floor to questions from and discussion with audience members. Among the topics to be addressed are the debate over the fidelity of the film’s sets, ships, and costumes; the film’s handling of its female characters; and the question of whether the director’s vision of Odysseus represents a betrayal of the epic’s values.

The conversation will include approximately sixty minutes of audience Q&A. All attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions through a live Q&A portal. The event is pay-what-you-wish (with a suggested fee of $10) and open to the public. Attendees will receive a special discount code toward purchasing the recordings of Mendelsohn’s six-part Odyssey seminar as well as his books Three Rings, Ecstasy and Terror, and Waiting for the Barbarians, published by New York Review Books.