Episode · Modern Wisdom · 2026-07-18
Chris Williamson & Alex Petkas: books mentioned on Modern Wisdom #1125
The True Story Of The Odyssey (and why it matters) - Alex Petkas - #1125
Alex Petkas is a historian, writer, and podcaster. What’s the real story behind The Odyssey?
Chris Williamson discussed The Odyssey. Alex Petkas discussed The Iliad, Metropolis by Thea von Harbou, Nosferatu by Bram Stoker, and The Mahabharata.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Odyssey
The Odyssey by Homer is an epic ancient Greek poem that follows the arduous ten-year journey of Odysseus as he attempts to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, encountering mythical creatures, divine wrath, and numerous trials along the way.
Discussed“Why is the Odyssey such an important story? Well, it's a story that has affected a lot of people.”
Where to get it
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The Iliad
Homer's ancient epic poem The Iliad chronicles the final weeks of the Trojan War and the devastating wrath of the Greek warrior Achilles.
Discussed“Homer is the author according to the Greeks of the Iliad and the Odyssey. These two poems that um you know”
Where to get it
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Metropolis
Discussed“Nobody's ever going to top, you know, Metropolis or uh No Ferratu or, you know, and there's probably still people today that think that”
Where to get it
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Nosferatu
Discussed“Nobody's ever going to top, you know, Metropolis or uh No Ferratu or, you know, and there's probably still people today that think that”
Where to get it
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The Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is a monumental ancient Indian epic detailing legendary conflicts, spiritual philosophy, and vast cosmological wisdom across extensive poetic and narrative texts.
Discussed“recognizing patterns in the Vadic epic tradition of the Mahabar parata and there's there's a kind of common ancestor”
Where to get it
