Tomasz Mojsik: 'The Odyssey' is the oldest bestseller I know

Homer's "Odyssey" remains a timeless bestseller, its enduring power analyzed in Tomasz Mojsik's book "Odysseus. An Unauthorized Biography." The epic's core theme, Mojsik argues, is not the journey itself but the "man of many twists and turns", a complex individual who has experienced much. This multifaceted nature allows the story to resonate with diverse audiences and interpretations.

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The story of Odysseus shows that literature can contain more than one life. If the character of Odysseus is a mirror, then it reflects not one character, but dozens, and different ones at that.

Mojsik highlights how literature can contain multiple lives within a single narrative. Odysseus, he suggests, acts as a mirror reflecting not just one character but dozens, embodying a spectrum of human experience. This idea is echoed in modern adaptations, such as Christopher Nolan's film, where Matt Damon's casting as Odysseus emphasizes the hero's relatability and his place within a human hierarchy, even kneeling before Agamemnon.

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The 'Odyssey' is held together not by the journey, but by the man, as the invocation suggests: 'Tell me, Muse, of the man of many experiences.'

The concept of Odysseus as a mirror extends to the possibility of modernizing the epic. Mojsik entertains the idea of a female-led "Odyssey," where Penelope embarks on the journey while Odysseus remains home. He sees this as a more controversial, yet potentially insightful, interpretation that reflects significant societal shifts in the 20th and 21st centuries. The "Odyssey," like Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose," transcends genre, offering layers of meaning that appeal to various interests, from adventure to theology and the study of human nature.

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The advantage of the epic is that it does not have a single theme. Look at Umberto Eco's 'The Name of the Rose' for example – it's more than a crime novel: the author explains in the afterword that the book will appeal to fans of the genre as well as those interested in theology or human nature.