Christopher Hitchens on Homer's Odyssey in a 2000 C-SPAN Roundtable
A 2000 C-SPAN Book TV roundtable discussion on Homer's Odyssey, featuring Christopher Hitchens, has resurfaced on YouTube in 2026, coinciding with Christopher Nolan's film adaptation. The two-hour conversation, moderated by Stanley Lombardo (University of Kansas classics professor), also included Joseph Bottum (then literary editor of the Weekly Standard) and Debra J. Dickerson. Hitchens argued that the Odyssey introduces essential concepts like hubris and nemesis, which remain vital for understanding human behavior. He noted that the epic explores the caprice of gods, nostalgia as a yearning for home, and the theme of striving tempered by caution. Hitchens emphasized that knowledge of classical Greece is necessary to fully appreciate later literature by Shakespeare, Milton, Shelley, Keats, and Chaucer, calling it part of our common heritage. The roundtable was originally aired in fall 2000 and recently uploaded to YouTube.
Key facts
- C-SPAN Book TV aired a two-hour roundtable on Homer's Odyssey in fall 2000.
- Participants included Christopher Hitchens, Stanley Lombardo, Joseph Bottum, and Debra J. Dickerson.
- The roundtable was prompted by Stanley Lombardo's new English translation of the Odyssey.
- The video was uploaded to YouTube days before the article's publication in 2026.
- Hitchens highlighted hubris and nemesis as concepts introduced by Homer.
- He described nostalgia as a yearning to go home, often sentimentalized.
- Hitchens stated that knowledge of classical Greece is essential for understanding later Western literature.
- The discussion took place in Washington, D.C.
Entities
Artists
- Christopher Hitchens
- Stanley Lombardo
- Joseph Bottum
- Debra J. Dickerson
- Homer
- Alexander Pope
- James Joyce
- Cavafy
- Shakespeare
- Milton
- Shelley
- Keats
- Chaucer
Institutions
- C-SPAN
- Book TV
- University of Kansas
- Weekly Standard
- YouTube
- Open Culture
Locations
- Washington, D.C.
- United States