Episode

Mary Beard on The Odyssey, Trump's America and how empires fall

Podcast
Stateside with Kai and Carter
Published
Jul 20, 2026
Duration seconds
2923
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not_requested
Canonical source
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/series/stateside
Audio
https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/69f1f631d7e73f5a692d1d3c/e/6a5e7295e19f9cb2d4865c6b/media.mp3
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Summary

Christopher Nolan’s new adaption of The Odyssey is an absolute monster of a hit, grossing $264m in its opening weekend. But celebrated classicist Mary Beard tells host Carter Sherman that while Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem comes with plenty of action-packed battle scenes, the film is missing the original's "elusive sexiness" – and its approach to women left her disappointed. Carter and Beard also explore why rightwing politicians – and people like Elon Musk – are so obsessed with co-opting the ancient world. They ask: who gets to own the classics? Commentary and criticism about Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey from the Guardian: The Odyssey’s review Christopher Nolan interview Will women also love The Odyssey? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.