Phil Cousineau at Book Soup for The Wisdom of the Odyssey

Phil Cousineau discusses & signs The Wisdom of the Odyssey: Twenty-Four Life Lessons from Homer's Epic
Phil Cousineau discusses & signs The Wisdom of the Odyssey: Twenty-Four Life Lessons from Homer's Epic
Fri, 7/31/2026 - 7:00pm
Place:
8818 Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90069
"Phil Cousineau always notices what nobody else does -- a sure sign of a sharp writer. His odyssey through the Odyssey uncovers new sights at every site."
-- Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events
A fresh, modern companion to Homer's Odyssey that illuminates its timeless lessons on change, resilience, and the search for home.
For nearly three thousand years, Homer's Odyssey has captivated audiences with its tale of Odysseus's perilous return journey after the Trojan War.
In The Wisdom of the Odyssey, mythologist Phil Cousineau distills the epic into twenty-four chapters that mirror Homer's original books and connect their lessons to our own lives. Readers follow Odysseus through his ordeals and changes of heart, as he's sustained not only by cunning and grit but by love for his wife, Penelope; his son, Telemachus; and his homeland, the island of Ithaka. In his delightfully strange world of monsters, tricksters, and sorceresses, Homer reveals what it means to be human.
Timed for release with Christopher Nolan's much-anticipated film adaptation, this volume shows how Odysseus's enduring story is more relevant than ever, and how it can guide us toward perseverance, meaning, and a richer inner life.
PHIL COUSINEAU is the award-winning author of The Wisdom of the Odyssey and over forty other books, including the bestselling The Art of Pilgrimage, The Hero’s Journey, and Once and Future Myths. With more than 40 books and 25 scriptwriting credits to his name, the "omnipresent influence of mythology in modern life" is a thread that runs through all his work. A writer, teacher, filmmaker, storyteller, and cultural historian, Phil has consulted on mythology and story for major studios including Warner Brothers, Pixar, and Lucasfilm. A protege of mythologist Joseph Campbell, Cousineau began his career teaching on Myth and the Movies at the American Film Institute in the 1980s. He has been featured on NPR, CNN International, National Geographic TV and was the host of PBS-TV's Global Spirit for ten years.
Friday, July 31 - 7:00pm
Event address:
Book Soup
8818 Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90069