Translators do not usually write the same book twice. They tweak an edition, fix a typo, or update a footnote. Emily Wilson is doing something entirely different.
The classicist and University of Pennsylvania professor is building a brand-new English translation of Homer’s The Odyssey from scratch. This isn't a minor polish of her breakout 2017 text. It is a completely fresh project, and she is already halfway finished.
Why redo a million-copy bestseller? Your first instinct might be to assume she is chasing the wave of public attention sparked by her recent, scathing takedowns of Hollywood adaptations. But the reality goes deeper than pop-culture friction. Wilson's entire perspective on classical translation has shifted over the past decade.
If you read her 2017 Odyssey, you experienced a tight, fast-paced poem. She famously adhered to a strict, line-for-line framework that matched the physical layout of the ancient Greek text line count where possible. It gave the book incredible energy. It also forced hard choices.
What Changed After The Iliad
Translating Homer twice changes a person. After her Odyssey became a household name, Wilson tackled Homer's The Iliad, published in 2023. That second journey altered her artistic rhythm.
With The Iliad, she dropped the rigid line-for-line restriction. She allowed the English verse to run longer than the original Greek when needed. That freedom let her play with varied word lengths and shifting pacing. Critics noticed a different voice emerging—one that felt less constrained and vastly more expansive, complete with massive endnotes, maps, and glossaries.
Now, she wants that same breathing room for Odysseus.
Wilson told the Associated Press that her new text will use more lines than the original Greek to grant the English version richer movement. She also plans to quadruple her explanatory endnotes. She has noted that endnotes are genuinely fun to write, and readers clearly appreciate the context.
Rethinking Specific Words
Another major driver for this second attempt is precision. Language carries ideological weight, especially when dealing with ancient institutions of bondage and power.
Looking back at her 2017 text, Wilson admitted she relied too heavily on the blanket term "slave." Ancient Greek society maintained complex, specific hierarchies of unfree labor. Using a single modern word flattens those nuances. Her new translation will lean into more specific, historically accurate terms for different categories of enslaved people.
At the same time, some iconic elements remain untouched. The famous opening line—"Tell me about a complicated man"—will likely stay right where it is.
The Controversy and the Noise
You cannot talk about Wilson's renewed focus on The Odyssey without acknowledging the surrounding cultural storm. Earlier this summer, Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster film adaptation cited her 2017 translation as a core inspiration. Book sales spiked.
Instead of riding the wave quietly, Wilson published brutal critiques of the film in the London Review of Books. She called the script's writing "abysmal," argued it lacked psychological depth, and pulled no punches regarding its execution. The sharp public debate drew defensive responses from literary figures and massive internet chatter.
Yet, Wilson’s decision to retranslate isn't a reaction to Hollywood. The project has been quietly underway for months, born from her internal evolution as a classicist.
Publishers initially found the idea controversial. Selling over a million copies of her first version gave her enough professional capital to push past corporate hesitation.
Expect two very different versions of the same ancient epic to sit side by side on bookshelves soon. They will stand as a rare window into how a brilliant mind interacts with antiquity across a career. Grab your old copy now and see how much a translator's lens can shift.
