At the moment, the answer to the question of why we should read Homer’s Odyssey seems rather straightforward: so we can more intelligently voice our opinions on Christopher Nolan’s new blockbuster film adaptation. A quarter-century ago, the matter was somewhat less clear. Still, an occasion had presented itself in the form of a new English translation, by University of Kansas classics professor Stanley Lombardo. That book, and the work of Homer in general, was the subject of a live two-hour roundtable discussion aired on C‑SPAN’s Book TV in the fall of 2000, which, with the Odyssey back in the zeitgeist, appeared on YouTube just days ago.Apart from Lombardo himself, the participants include Joseph Bottum, then literary editor of the Weekly Standard; journalist and military veteran Debra J. Dickerson; and Christopher Hitchens, who clearly participated not just because he happened to be living in Washington, D.C., but also out of a genuine appreciation for the Odyssey and an understanding of its relevance in the modern world. Early on in the text, he explains, Homer introduces the concepts of hubris and nemesis, which “we cannot do without in ordinary discourse. There are certain punishments that appear to fall on people, for original arrogance or conceit, that we can’t conceive of relating grand stories without.”There’s the “caprice of the gods,” with which every religion has had to deal, as well as the even more universal feeling of nostalgia, “a very overused and sentimentalized term now, which literally means — and can only really mean — the yearning to go home.” Adducing such re-interpretations by writers from Alexander Pope to James Joyce, Hitchens declares that we think of the Odyssey as “the original narrative of the striving of humanity — and of the need, also, to beware of what you want, in case you ever do, as Cavafy says, finally get home to Ithaca. It may turn out that it’s better to travel hopefully than to arrive.”The matter of virtue also arises in the conversation, and specifically whether the range of virtues of which Homer sang (up to and including luck) would be recognized in our Christian or post-Christian world. To the avowedly atheist Hitchens’ mind, of course, we should already have been post-religious. Homer’s deities are “anthropomorphic gods; they are invented by us, as all gods are.” But whatever your religion or lack thereof, “if you don’t know something about classical Greece, then you won’t be able, with much profit, to read Shakespeare, or Milton, or Shelley, or Keats, or even Chaucer. It would be like not knowing what the bible story was and then wondering how you puzzle your way through Shakespeare as well. It’s part of the underlay; it’s part of the common heritage.” The translations and re-interpretations have kept coming, but Homer himself still patiently awaits each of us.Related content:A Walk Through Homer’s Odyssey: A Guide to the Epic Before Seeing Christopher Nolan’s FilmChristopher Hitchens Creates a Revised List of the 10 Commandments for the 21st CenturyAn Interactive Map of Odysseus’ 10-Year Journey in Homer’s OdysseyHear What Homer’s Odyssey Sounded Like When Sung in the Original Ancient GreekAiling Christopher Hitchens Creates a List of Essential Books for an 8‑Year-Old Girl to ReadAlbert Einstein Explains Why We Need to Read the ClassicsBased in Seoul, Colin Marshall writes and broadcasts on cities, language, and culture. He’s the author of the newsletter Books on Cities as well as the books 한국 요약 금지 (No Summarizing Korea) and Korean Newtro. Follow him on the social network formerly known as Twitter at @colinmarshall.