Emily Wilson, the first woman to translate Homer’s Odyssey into English, is set to retranslate the ancient Greek epic poem. This new version comes less than a decade after her 2017 translation, which was a bestseller and praised for its modern accessibility.
The announcement follows controversy this summer, after Wilson offered a scathing assessment of Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster film adaptation of the Odyssey. She criticised the film for its “abysmal” writing and lack of sex scenes, despite Nolan citing her 2017 translation as an influence.
Wilson stated that she is about halfway through the complete retranslation, which is not a revision of her previous work. She plans to use more lines than the original, allowing for more varied word-length and pacing, and intends to quadruple the number of endnotes.
Her decision to retranslate the poem predates the film controversy. Wilson discussed her desire to approach the poem differently in an interview recorded in the spring, indicating she will "probably" keep the opening line, "Tell me about a complicated man."