Poetry sales in the UK are set to hit an all-time high this year, thanks in large part to the popularity of Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of The Odyssey.
According to NielsenIQ, Britons spent more than £8m on poetry books in the first 30 weeks of 2026, up 13.3% on the same period last year.
If current trends continue into the autumn, annual sales could top £15m for the first time and could even reach £17m.
Homer’s works have seen a particularly strong increase in demand. After the release of Nolan’s film, starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya and Anne Hathaway, sales of printed editions of The Odyssey in the UK jumped by 1,400%. That’s up from the same period in 2025 in the four weeks leading up to July 25.
In total, the various editions of The Odyssey and The Iliad brought in around £980,000 this year. That means around £1.2 out of every £10 spent by Britons on poetry went to Homer.
The film adaptation itself was also a huge commercial success. The film grossed $264 million, or around £198 million, in its opening weekend worldwide. It was the most successful start of Nolan’s career.
With a new wave of popularity, Homer could be close to breaking the record for annual sales by a single poet in the UK. It currently belongs to Canadian author and Instagram star Rupa Kaur, whose books brought in £1.2m in 2017.
Demand is also growing in the US, where sales of all printed editions of The Odyssey have increased by 76% since the start of the year.