Last week, the Center was delighted to host a panel discussion between scholar Suzanne Lye (Associate Professor in Classics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) and Gareth Hinds (author and illustrator of the graphic novel The Odyssey, The Iliad, and, forthcoming, The Aeneid).
Before a full house and a large Zoom audience, the speakers had a lively discussion of Gareth Hinds’ approach to adaptation, particularly of Homer’s Odyssey, as well as the challenges of adapting ancient epic for a graphic novel form and their thoughts on Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey, which would release in theaters a few days later.
A recording of the event is available on the Center for Hellenic Studies’ YouTube channel.
The panel discussion was the first in a new “Classics and Pop Culture” event series hosted by the CHS. This public-facing initiative bridges scholarly and creative perspectives on the ancient world through a focus on antiquity in modern media. Stay tuned for details on announcements of future programming, which will start in fall 2026.
Prior to their evening discussion, Gareth and Suzanne led a separate workshop for local high school students participating in the Scholars-in-Training Summer Program, an initiative co-organized by the Center for Hellenic Studies and Harvard’s Department of the Classics. The presenters briefly shared their personal journeys to the humanities and gave the students a sneak peek of the evening’s conversation, with lots of time left over for student-led discussion.
