When University of Pennsylvania classics professor Emily Wilson’s translation of “The Odyssey” was published in 2017, it introduced countless readers to Homer’s masterpiece through vivid, contemporary language and a poetic style that felt both approachable and true to the original.
Among those captivated was Academy Award-winning director Christopher Nolan, whose own adaptation of “The Odyssey” arrived in theaters this weekend. While Nolan and Wilson did not collaborate on the film, he has cited her translation as an influence on his approach to adapting the ancient poem for the screen, particularly in shaping his understanding of its legendary hero, Odysseus, played by actor Matt Damon.
The film earned an estimated $124.5 million at the domestic box office during its opening weekend, and the excitement surrounding it has driven a surge of interest in Wilson’s translation. According to publishing house W.W. Norton, more than one million copies of her edition have been sold this year.
Wilson’s achievement, however, has not come without challenges. Her translation of “The Odyssey” was the first by a woman to be published in English, and much of the conversation surrounding her work has focused less on its literary accomplishments than on her gender. Rather than simply being recognized as a masterful translator, Wilson has often found herself navigating questions and criticism rooted in the novelty of being “the first.”
Know Your Value recently spoke with Wilson about the blockbuster film that’s putting the ancient epic on the world stage, why she believes the latest adaptation doesn’t surpass the original poem, the challenges of being defined as “the first” woman to translate “The Odyssey” into English, and how she handles the misogynistic backlash that has accompanied her groundbreaking work.
Below are highlights from the conversation:
On Wilson’s initial reaction to the film:
“…I very much hope many people go and see it in cinemas – it’s worth it to see on the big screen, because so much of the movie is about the visual effects, as well as the very loud soundtrack. This film is an event, and it has a lot of memorable moments. But I hope those who do so will also read or reread the poem. I hate to be that guy, but the book is a lot better than the film.”
READ MORE: What scholars thought about Christopher Nolan’s adaption of The Odyssey
On being the first woman to have her translation of “The Odyssey” published in English:
“On some level, I don’t think it matters at all… Gender wasn’t a topic in my scholarly or critical work before I began work on “The Odyssey.” I’d published various books and articles, mostly about male authors and male characters, with very little attention to gender… Nobody thought it mattered that I was a woman for my work, until “Woman Translates ‘Odyssey’” became the universal headline…
I’ve honestly found it exhausting and limiting to have my work constantly framed by journalists in terms of my gender. I see it as both simplistic and anti-feminist to insist that all women’s work has to be viewed as primarily ‘women’s’ as if all our toys must be pink and no other color – whereas men, lucky things, get to focus on what they actually care about, which might not be gender at all… I keep urging journalists to ask men about their gender and how it informs their work, and please stop asking me about it, because I really don’t work on gender and it’s not my main interest…
I took on the project of re-translating “The Odyssey” and then the “Iliad,” for reasons that had nothing to do with my gender identity, but had to do with my specific scholarly training and literary sensibilities… I felt that there was an opportunity to provide English readers with translations in traditional, regular meter – in contrast with the dozens of existing free verse and prose translations – and versions that would, like the originals, have a supple multiplicity of voice and perspective, as well as their emotional directness and vividness…
Beyond my own specific work: the fact that most translations of ancient texts into English have been done by men is notable and quite surprising… I think it may have to do with the different educational traditions, and differing attitudes towards translation in general: in France and Italy, more people of all genders have some knowledge of ancient Greek and Latin (because of the lycée/ liceo schools), so there’s a wider pool of people qualified to translate texts like “The Odyssey”…
On the goddess’ power she would want:
“As a translator, I see my work as having most affinity with Iris, the divine messenger goddess – and it’s fun that she’s also the rainbow… I like the idea of having Artemis’ connection to animals and wild places, or Athena’s skill in strategy and craft. But I don’t really want to be any kind of goddess; it means, inevitably, having mortal blood on one’s divine hands…Odysseus has some of the strategic cunning of Athena, and with her help, this power enables him to regain his honor and control of his household, through a massacre. Imaginatively and emotionally, I absolutely understand the desire to wield divinely-granted power to gain honor… But if I had to choose for my own real life, I would rather have less power and less honor. If a goddess, any goddess, offers me power, I plan to decline.”
On “misogynistic trolling” she receives online:
“My partner, David, had the idea of the misogynistic trolling button[on my website], after I got a little rash of hate mail and death threats. It’s made the culture war silliness a lot more fun for me. I like it when people use the “trolling” button for other purposes – I have had quite a lot of people click it and then write things like, “I love your translations!”
In general, I remind myself that none of it has anything to do with me. When people write hateful things to or about me, I feel lucky not to be consumed by hatred myself… I’m grateful not to feel compelled to waste hours of my one wild and precious life in the swamps of conspiracy theories and railing against strangers on the internet …”
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