Theguardian iconTheguardianAug 10, 2026 ~1 min source read

Why is poetry booming? It’s the only language for times of violence and chaos | Charlotte Higgins

From the Odyssey to conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, we can see how poetry fills the gap when ordinary ways of writing or speaking aren't enough The biggest sales of poetry since records began are expected this year. UK print sales of The Odyssey increased by 1,400% in the four weeks to 25 July compared with the same period last year.

Why is poetry booming? It’s the only language for times of violence and chaos | Charlotte Higgins

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From the Odyssey to conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, we can see how poetry fills the gap when ordinary ways of writing or speaking aren't enough The biggest sales of poetry since records began are expected...

UK print sales of The Odyssey increased by 1,400% in the four weeks to 25 July compared with the same period last year.

Christopher Nolan is doing miracles for Homer – whatever problems one might have with the movie (and Emily Wilson, who made the most popular recent translation, has a few).

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The useful part

From the Odyssey to conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, we can see how poetry fills the gap when ordinary ways of writing or speaking aren't enough The biggest sales of poetry since records began are expected this year. UK print sales of The Odyssey increased by 1,400% in the four weeks to 25 July compared with the same period last year. Christopher Nolan is doing miracles for Homer – whatever problems one might have with the movie (and Emily Wilson, who made the most popular recent translation, has a few).

How it works

  • Strip out the Odyssey factor, though, and poetry is still doing exceptionally well, driven by writers whose work is often mildly denigrated as "Instapoetry", such as Lucas Jones.
  • Even so, the poets of Instagram reach for something that can't quite be expressed through everyday speech.

Details worth keeping

In the US, year-to-date sales of The Odyssey are up 76% so far.

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