The Odyssey (2026): a Classic Epic Movie... and More Books & Films

The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan (2026), is already a classic epic movie, just like Homer's Odyssey is a classic epic book which can only be compared to a handful of books at the very summit of the History of Literature: One Thousand and One Nights, Don Quixote, Hamlet, War and Peace, Moby-Dick, In Search of Lost Time, One Hundred Years of Solitude or Ulysses. 

But, problably, Homer's Odyssey is unique in the influence it has wielded over three millennia on Western writers like Virgil in his Aeneid, Dante in Chant XXVI of his Inferno, James Joyce's in the above mentioned Ulysses, Margaret Atwood in her novella The Penelopiad, Madeline Miller in her feminist view on Circe, Derek Walcott in his Caribbean poem Omeros (you can find a short video of Lit With Charles which explains The Odyssey's influence on Omeros, Xenophon's Anabais and the Penelopiad) and in the Fine Arts, on painters like J.M.W. Turner in his masterpiece Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus, or John W. Waterhouse in Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus and on sculptors like Auguste Rodin in The Sirens.

If you love music, one of your favourite singers or bands might have written a song inspired by Odyssey, just check this Songfacts list of Songs that reference The Odyssey and you will find Suzanne Vega's Calypso, REM's Lotus, Franz Ferdinand's Ulysses or Loreena MacKeneath's Penelope's Song, among others. But this list is incomplete, for example, singer songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat also wrote a song called Penélope, which can be added to this endless list, for the weight of Homer's Odyssey in Western Art, Music & Literature is, problably, only second to the influx of the Bible,

Back to the movie, Christopher Nolan has managed to tell the complex story of king Odysseus's return to Ithaca with the visual language of modern Hollywood superhero blockbusters, and, at the same time, he has managed to give a 3-hour-lesson in classical Greek literature to teenagers and seniors alike. No small feat! 

The Odissey, has become both a box office and a critic's success. Nicholas Barber and Caryn James rank the movie at No. 2 in the BBC Culture article "The Invite to the Odyssey: 12 of the best films of 2026 so far". This article is recommended for C2 students for its rich and dense language, which includes expressions like: a highlight [of the year], a blockbuster, a farcical [sex comedy], to aim at [grown-ups], to feature, loved-up, to drop in [for dinner], to bicker, a laidback [guest], hilarious, a moving [screenplay], [to lay] bare, pacing, a contender [to the Oscars], hype, beguiling, stunning, a [natural, modern] delivery, a relatable [king], cramped, to intertwine, an enthralling and layered [film], ludicrously [inventive], [to shoot] footage, [two] buffoonish, would-be [superstars], a daft [film], wit, a flock, to steep in [detective story], to set out [to track the clues], a cast, deft, game, a bumbling [police officer], a high-powered [lawyer], childlike [qualities], tender, a standout, a battle-scarred [veteran], a ram, a [comic] romp, cosy, a sequel, gore, a buddy-comedy, a hulking [cannibal], cheeky, eccentric, pitch-perfect [intimacy], the backdrop [of the presidential election], to nullify, loosely, stunningly, to capture, bold [colours], [heartbreaking] coda, fizzily [energetic], conceit, to hop [into a beaver], furry [friends], plotted, an exhilarating [take on the book], artistry, daring, fiery, caustic, to overlook, prettified [period scenes], an enticing [kaleidoscope of colour], to drop in [some comic moments], to be over the top, enduring [passion], class-bound [time], action-packed [set piece], painstaking [research], touching, inspiring, a bleak [narrative], fast-paced, cheerful, goofball [charm], a bracing [drama], a purge, wilfully [to echo], creeping [authoritarianism], [the film] to unfold, eerie [calm], a low-boil [thriller], to circumvent, a harrowing [story], the grip [of a dictatorship], a stranger-than-fiction [true story], to kidnap, a mortgage [broker], [financial] woes, to wield [a shotgun], pathos, a nerve-racking [situation], a romcom, wilfully, dramedy, a sharp [detour], a high-wire [act of a film], a deft [star], jumpy [nerves], a backlash, sheer [Hollywood star power], a thought-provoking [comment], a hot-button [issue].

Next, you can find a conversation class for B2 students and above, entitled "Conversation Questions,  The Odyssey: Classic Books & Movies", which can be added to complete & enhance the reading of the BBC Culture review above or the listening of the short video below 3 Great Books if you loved The Odyssey, by Lit With Charles:

C2 students and experts can watch the video What Three Artists Thought The Odyssey Meant Will Surprise You?!  (12:54) from an Art History YouTube channel called Unframed, which describes three artworks in history, and three different readings of Homer's Odyssey by the unknown ancient Greek "Siren Painter", and the above mentioned painters Waterhouse and Turner.

Finally, for further information about the movie, you can watch the BBC Radio 1 programme The Secret of The Odyssey, where film critic Ali Plumb interviews the director of the film, Sir Christopher Nolan, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Samantha Morton, Benny Safdie, John Leguizano and Himesh Patel. This long video below (41':42") is recommended for C2 students and experts. 

The Odissey is fun. Don't miss it!

Trump vs the BBC: Litigation and Freedom of Speech in the US

Donald Trump has sued the BBC over the Panorama edit of his speech to the mob that assaulted the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. 

This follows a string of lawsuits to intimidate media outlets that have published critical articles of President Trump, like the "meritless" lawsuit against ABC News, and CBS that ended with out-of-court settlements to fund Donald Trump Library. The Conversation described these lawsuits as "a Corleone-style approach toward media relations" that "will produce a chilling effect in investigative reporters" and could "install a form of internal self-censorship" to appease the would-be editor in chief, Donald Trump: "ABC's and CBS's settlement with Trump are a dangerous step towards the commander in chief becoming the editor in chief"

In addition, Mr. Trump favours the sale of CNN to Skydance, as part of the Warner Bros. merger, Politico informs.  CNN has been critical of Mr. Trump's policies, whereas Skydance is owned by Trump's loyal ally David Ellison, the son of Oracle's boss Larry Ellison, who have played a key role in Trump's media policy since the Skydance acquisition of CBS's parent company, Paramount, as the BBC reported in "Move over Murdoch's -a new family dynasty is shaking up US media".

For futher information about freedom of expression under the Trump administration, you can read the book "Murder the Truth", by the New York Times investigative deputy editor, David Enrich, or listen to this NPR's interview where Mr. Enrich talked about his investigation into the current threats to freedom of speech in the US.

The BBC report on Trump's defamation lawsuit on the Capitol assault is recommended for C1 students who will find legal vocabulary like: defamation, to file a lawsuit, a claim, deceptively, ongoing [legal proceedings], to sue, to cheat, a riot, to leak, malice, to allege, libel, to stand up for [the BBC], shadow [culture secretary], a fee [payer], the Bar, litigation, to cough up [the money]. 

The Conversation story is also suitable for C1 students, who can learn interesting expressions like: a settlement, commander in chief, a surrender, to foresee, seemingly, meritless, a shareholder, liable, the pursuit, to seek [to apply editorial pressure], unrelenting, biased [TV coverage], a newscast, to air, to trade [away the trust], [to break] a scoop, to hold [power] to account. 

The BBC article on the Ellison family's media interests (C2) includes words like: to shake up, to take on [a new dimension], to pursue [deals], to pave the way, to bless [the dealings], to rank, to skew, a [Republican] megadonor, a fundraiser, to broker [a deal], to be poised [to become], a foray, a flop, a takeover, a [significant] leap, a sprawling [operation], a sign-off, anti-bribery [laws], in compliance with, to duck [questions], to sway [news coverage], the kernel, to get your head around [that], a tie-up, a would-be [media] mogul, to go in flames. 

And finally, the long and complex NPR's (Fresh Air) interview to David Enrich, which is recommended for C2 students and Experts, contains words like: a gathering, to overturn [a court decision], a landmark [case], a [media] outlet, the campaign trail, libel, a stump speech, high-power [lawyers], to linger, reckless [disregard for the accuracy], malice, to set out, a rocky [start], to bash [the media], nuanced [understanding of the issue], shoddy, oblivion, to pop up, saber-rattling, the wherewithal, to flinch, to dig into, to chip away [around the edges], kooky [stuff], to mastermind [this campaign], hand-wringing.

You can watch a YouTube interview to David Enrich on Democracy Now! This video with subtitles is also recommended for C2 students and Experts:

Caged Bird

 

"Caged Bird" is one of the most famous poems by Maya Angelou. It talks about freedom through the allegory of two birds, a free bird and a caged bird that have utterly different experiences of life, but, paradoxically, the one who sings of freedom is the caged bird that longs for it from behind the bars. Here is a lesson plan for B2 students and above with listening and speaking tasks and the key, and just below you can find a link to a video from Poems by the Pound where Caged Bird is recited. Some interesting words are: to leap, to dip, to stalk, to be clipped, a trill, a worm, the lawn, a grave. For further information about the poem, you can check the Caged Bird Video Summary by GradeSaver,  and an analysis of the poem: Review of Maya Angelou's Caged Bird by the young poet and Medical Laboratory Science student Chidiebere Sullivan Nwuguru.

Maya Angelou's metaphor of the caged bird has inspired other modern artists. A very good example is American rapper J. Cole in his song "Caged Bird", that talks about the frustration of a young black person who has been jailed and reflects about freedom, about his fellow black inmates, about an unfair society, and about his own mistakes. The rhythm, the rhymes and the alliterations in the lyrics, together with the pathos of the words, contribute to the poignancy of the song -perhaps you can compare this song to Maya Angelou's poem. Here you have a link to the lyrics of Cage Bird (feat. Omen) with the Spanish translation and below you have the official video of the song, which is recommended for C1 students.

Catherine of Aragon, Queen Consort of England

Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536), is a household name in England, as her marriage to Henry VIII was the first and the longest in a string of six tumultous marriages, but, the Spanish Infanta is, arguably, less known in Spain, as she failed to fulfil her royal duty bestowed upon her by her father, Ferdinand II of Aragon: to produce an uncontested heir to the English Crown that would embody a solid and lasting diplomatic alliance between the kingdoms of Spain and England in the early 16th century, when France emerged as a common rival.

Catherine's marriage to Henry lasted from 1509 to 1533, when the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Crammer declared Henry's marriage to Catherine "null and void", which allowed Henry to marry young Anne Boleyn -with family ties to France, and undoubtedly contributed to the separation of the English Church from the Roman Catholic Church. Despite the terrible blow to her royal dignity, Catherine never gave up her claim and spent her entire life fighting hard for the right of their daughter, Mary, to be the legitimate heir to Henry's throne. Several authors have recently vindicated Catherine of Aragon as a well-educated and empowered woman, who led the country in military campaigns against the Scots (1513), while Henry was fighting in France, and who fostered bold social reforms in the English court: Catherine was a patron of Renaissance humanists like Erasmus of Rotterdam, Sir Thomas More and Juan Luis Vives, the Spanish scholar who wrote The Education of a Christian Woman, a treatise that "advocates education for all women regardless of social class and ability" -Catherine herself opened several colleges for women when she was Queen consort; she impressed Londoners with contemporary Spanish fashion and she also "started an extended programme for the relief of the poor", which made Catherine a very popular Queen consort in England and abroad, despite her estrangement from Henry.

Next you can find a lesson plan with listening and speaking tasks, key and the script in Word and in PDF formats for C1 students, extracted from the interview that Giles Tremlett gave to Jane Garvey in Woman's Hour (BBC Radio-4) after the publication of his book Catherine of Aragon, Henry's Spanish Queen, back in 2010. Next is the clip with the audio recording (03':45") for the listening task. If you want to listen to the full interview, here is a recording of the whole interview (10':56") without a script. In addition, and just out of curiosity, you can find a review of the book from The Guardian newspaper in Word and in  PDF formats. Some expressions C1 learners will find in the listening task are: to be allocated to [other monarchs], fate, to take something in your stride, dowry, an eating disorder, to fast, to bear [a child], pious, a steely [character], submissive, obstinate.

But the interest in Catherine of Aragon has not waned over the years. Last week, the highly successful discussion programme In Our Time on BBC Radio 4, devoted a brand new episode to Catherine of Aragon: In Our Time, Feb. 2025 with host Melvyn Bragg and a panel of three top academics on Early Modern History: Lucy Wooding, from Oxford University, María Hayward, from the University of Southampton, and Gonzalo Velasco Berenguer, from the University of Bristol. This is a long radio programme (53') which contains very rich language without a script, so, it is recommended for C2 students and for Experts (Ex) or teachers who want to learn about Tudor England and Early Modern Spain. The list of salient words and collocations below can be used as a listening guide for lower level students.

Some expressions learners can pick up from the In Our Time radio programme are: to engage in, formidable [skills], fellow, born to [greatness], a monarch, to lay the foundation, a superpower, the lesser [partner], a throne, a half-sister, resilient, a prime [example], to rally [the troops], [to survive to] adulthood, pious, to betroth [children], [to seek an] alliance, a contested [succession crisis], betrothal, to bolster, a deficient [education], a patron of [humanists], a retinue, pageant, a hood, a gown, pleated, [bands of] cane, to send [him] off, to jeopardize [their childbearing potential], to rake [mercilessly], a maiden, a deeply religious [woman], to consummate [a marriage], dowager [princess], dowry, to be at loggerheads, to befit [a Infanta], in cahoots with [the Queen of England], very vocal, self-assertive, outspoken, to drift, a tussel, her piety, [religious] observant, to fast, Infanta [of Spain], linen, brocade [dresses], a warm and affectionate relationship, to feel warmly to one another, exuberant, athletic, a reassuring [presence], raw, glamour, to joust, joie de vivre, a courtly love [convention], to lay her triumphs at her feet, [to court] mask, to throw off [his disguise], to conduct herself [as Queen], devout, arguably, a relief [army], armour, [to buy] supplies, a bloodied [coat], to sew [banners], domesticated and martial [themes], to push forward [the Spanish] agenda, a beacon [for Spanish interests], wool trade, in a vacuum, to intermarry, weary, a debacle, to stew, the kingdom of Navarre, to add insult to injury, to mutiny, to rebuff [an attempt], an annulment, feisty, to wield [authority], [queen] regnant, to be perturbed, [to become] an issue, more ugly than not, [religious] viability, [not without] precedent, appalling, [royal] dignity, reluctant, more telling, to groom [his illegitimate child], a [royal] bride, a role model, [Spanish] heritage, a treatise, to draw up [a plan of education], to be depicted, her upbringing, a shift, patronage, [to give it a new] spin, the dispensation, double-binding, to dispense [a marriage], determination, to engage with [the best intellects], [to support her] corner, an [intellectual] tussle, Papal [authority], to wrangle [around that], God-given [authority], to take a stand, to be interwoven, scandalous, for the sake of [her daughter], to be vanished, a watershed [moment], a dispute, to have the upper-hand, more poignantly, to repeal [a law], her will, to be addressed, [princess] dowager, discreet life, a manor [house], to command [popular support], to nurse [her daughter], vindictive, a bearing, a cooling [of relations], an uneasy [relation], to gather [support], a moving [letter], a hint [of steel], a concubine, a heartbreaking [sentence], astonishing, appallingly, sense of duty, longevity, regent, to set [the model], uncaring [son], [not a] catch, mean, to pass the buck, to make out, wordy [letters], fury, her misfortunes, he is to blame, a flamboyant [dresser], to offset [the complaints], a [last minute] reversal, a cipher, to quail, [politically] apt, dour, sarcastic, impeccably [dressed], the Field of the Cloth of Gold, a makeshift [city], a [wine] fountain, to herald [lasting peace], an encounter, a wrestling [match], [to go] rough, awkward, to smooth things over, the woodcut, a pomergranate, regalia, a robe, a [queen] regnant.

If you want to watch a video with Catherine's story, you can watch "The Warrior Queen Married to Henry VIII: Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's First Wife" (2023) below, which can be recommended for C1 students.

"Dear Life", by Alice Munro (1931- 2024)

Alice Munro, the short-story writer and the winner of the 2013 Nobel prize has died aged 92, you can read her obituary and listen to a compilation of interview clips on "Alice Munro, Canadian author who mastered the short story, dead at 92", written by Rhianna Schmunk for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Alice Munro was a small town girl, a mother of three girls, a bookshop owner and a writer in her free time, until her literary success took up most of her time in her mid-forties and eventually was hailed as "a master of the short story" by the judges of the Nobel prize for Literature. Three of her short stories, Chance, Soon and Silence, from her book Runaway, were made into Almodovar's film "Julieta". 

Her stories are often set in Huron County, in rural Ontario, they deal about human existence, moral conflict and revelation and they can be a first step for C1 learners to start reading authentic, unabridged fiction. Here you can find her memoir, "Dear Life. A Childhood Visitation", with a reading comprehension task & its key for C1 learners, who will find descriptive words and collocations like: to pull off, rickety, a mill race, contempt, unsoiled, a Highland fling, clicking [shoes], to dig [dug, dug], a well, to drill, to honk, to summon, shuddering, a crinkly [smile], a [drinking] pail, a trapline, an [animal] pen, a hayfield, to cull [animals], manure, to tell on [somebody], jolly, to dawn on [somebody], to dwindle, downsloping,a cedar [tree], troll, a miscarriage, a flurry, a dumbwaiter, hemstitching, to pelt [the foxes], a downturn, molten [metal], a [metal] mold, to buckle down to [something], to cram [my head with knowledge], a quavery [voice], a hatchet, to wring [clothes], a misgiving, to keep tabs on [somebody/ something], to grab, to tilt, clatter, a haphazard [way], to wedge, to bang, to rattle, distraught, to stare, a [wild] grin, a [river] flat, to muddy [up], to commend [Nature], to whale [the unkindness] out of [me], to beat the tar out of [me], to dispose of [a house], for dear life, to spot [somebody].

Alice Munro published several of her short stories in The New Yorker. For further background into her life you can read the interview she gave to The New Yorker when she published her last book "Dear Life" in 2012: "On 'Dear Life': An Interview with Alice Munro". 

Apart from the above-mentioned interview videos in her CBC obituary, "Alice Munro, Canadian author who mastered the short story, dead at 92", you can watch below the conversation she had with Kyle Lanningham right after she received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2013. This interview with subtitles is also accessible to C1 students.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas & Let It Snow by Michael Bublé

'Twas the Night Before Chirstmas is a poem originally written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1987 with the title "A Visit (from St. Nicholas)", and still today, it is a favourite bedtime story for children on Christmas Eve.

Here you can find a fill-in the gaps task & key for B2 students based on Michael Bublé's rendition of 'Twas was the Night Before Christmas, with a direct link to YouTube below, and my transcription of Bublé's version plus Moore's original poem.The task is rather easy, but the vocabulary includes many descriptive words which are more C1 level than B2, you will find these expressions: to stir, a stocking, to be nestled, snug, sugar-plums, 'kerchief, cap, to settle down, a nap, the lawn, the clatter, to spring (sprang, sprung), a flash, to tear (tore, torn), a shutter, the sash [window], the breast, new-fallen [snow], the lustre, a sleigh, a reindeer, to whistle,  the porch, to dash away, a hurricane, to mount, the coursers, a twinkling, to prance, to paw, a hoof, a bound, a fur, to be tarnished, ash, soot, a bundle, to fling (flung, flung), a pedler (Am Eng), to twinkle, a dimple, merry, the cheeks, droll, to be drawn up, a bow, the chin,the stump, a pipe, [to hold] tight, to encircle, a wreath, a broad [face], a [round] belly, a bowlful of jelly, chubby, plump, jolly, an elf, a wink [of his eye], a twist [of his head], to dread, a jerk, to lay [a finger], to give [a nod], to rise (rose, risen), a whistle, the down [of] a thistle, [out of] sight.

If you want to listen to another Christmas song by the contemporary clooner from Canada Michael Bublé, you can play the song Let It Snow, and do another fill-in the gap task with its key, which is also accessible to B2 students. Some interesting words you will find here are: frightful, delightful, to pop, [the lights are] way [down] low, to kiss good night, [to hold somebody] tight. 

 

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You can find more texts and recordings about Christmas on the following entries in this blog: Christmas (18/12/20), The Magic of Christmas (25/12/22).