The Odyssey Effect – In Conversation with Erica Stevenson

The classicist and the creator behind Youtube’s MoAn Inc. discusses her debut title, the lasting appeal of Homer's poem, and Christopher Nolan's ambitious new blockbuster adaptation.

Welcome to the Aspects of History podcast, Erica. Congratulations on the release of The Odyssey Effect. What inspired you to trace the afterlife of Homer’s epic rather than focusing solely on its origins?

Well, it was a job that was given to me by the publishers. So they came to me and they had a really clear vision of what the book was going to be. They knew even the little things that they wanted in it. They knew the films they wanted me to discuss, the books they wanted me to discuss and the time period. Really it was my job as the historian to either agree with some of those or to throw in my own and say, “I think maybe this would suit your project a bit better,” and go through it that way.