Emily Wilson. Rom(an) Com 21 February 2008. She has chosen to foreground other qualities of the original: urgency and vigour (and sometimes, oddness – readers may be taken aback later in the poem to find Odysseus’s son Telemachus offered “canapés”, and Odysseus himself, when disguised as an old homeless man, carrying a “tote bag”). London Review of Books, 28 Little Russell Street London, WC1A 2HN letters@lrb.co.uk Please include name, address, and a telephone number. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Among its many attributes is clear, and finely-tuned language set in iambic pentameter that puts the poetry back in one of the Western cannon's greatest poems. Emily Wilson’s crisp and musical version is a cultural landmark. Pr. Emily Wilson's crisp and musical version is a cultural landmark. She does not wait for permission, but ploughs on, making clear that, unlike her husband, she has immediately recognised the boy, even though she last saw him “the day the Greeks marched off to Troy, their minds/fixated on the war and violence./ They made my face the cause that hounded them.” This last line is translated by Fagles as “shameless whore that I was”, and by Stephen Mitchell as “bitch that I was”. Whereas male translations have a habit, perhaps quite unconsciously, of letting Odysseus off the hook (he tried his best! Book Review | The Last Letter From Your Lover by Jojo Moyes, Announcement: I did a Q&A on It’s a Reader’s Life, Exploring Non-alcoholic Drinks | Belvoir Lime and Soda, Exploring Non-alcoholic Drinks | Belvoir Raspberry Lemonade, Book Review | Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman, Exploring Non-alcoholic Drinks | J2O Spritz – Apple and Watermelon. Sign my guestbook. Inside, she was singingAnd weaving with a shuttle made of gold.Her voice was beautiful. Ave, Jeeves! E W March 7, 2018. In this group, we will read and discuss Emily Wilson's new translation of Homer's The Odyssey, published in November 2017 by Norton. Plico comes from the Greek pleko, one of whose meanings is devise or contrive; occasionally it means “to form the plot of a tragedy”. Pr. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) The Odyssey is an Ancient Greek epic poem which tells the story of Odysseus as he travels home after the Trojan war. Chapman has: “But so their fates he could not overcome.” The Greek? And so another small but significant transformation is effected. "Emily Wilson, […] whose translation of The Odyssey – the first translation by a woman, might I add – is currently destroying me, so it’s good. He just couldn’t manage it! -- The International New York Times "Emily Wilson wipes the dust of ages from Homer's prose in her new translation of The Odyssey. If you’ve heard Emily Wilson’s name in the last year, it probably had the almost-Homerian epithet “first woman translator of The Odyssey” attached to it. In 2018, Emily Wilson became the first woman to publish an English translation of The Odyssey. I feel any review of Emily Wilson’s Odyssey that didn’t mention the introduction would be as incomplete as the translation itself would be without it. Part of this complicatedness is its polyphonic nature. Wilson’s introduction moves nimbly between the ancient world and the modern one. The first translation of the Odyssey by a woman has several tricks up its sleeve. The first English translation was by George Chapman in 1615. He failed to keep them safe; poor fools,they ate the Sun God’s cattle, and the godkept them from home. Toward Insight. I would especially recommend reading The Odyssey if you like Greek mythology / retellings and would like to read one of the original texts. The translation itself is written in verse with beautiful, clear writing. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York and London, 2017. Review: A good intro if you haven't read the Odyssey before. A computer glitch seems to be including reviews for other translations and the Iliad on this page. In a six-day livestream the Oklahoma Contemporary and the Kirkpatrick Foundation have brought together 24 musicians, actors, artists, and public officials to read Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey.The oral presentation of Homer’s epic poem is a digital recreation of collective listening and considers what it means to find home in an era in which the world is home-bound. Odysseus’, Telemachus, is also in danger as Penelope’s suitors plot his death. "Emily Wilson's Odyssey sings with the spare, enchanted lucidity of a minstrel fallen through time. The Odyssey is published by Norton. Emily Wilson. This is partly because she is a woman. A woman’s voice: how beautiful to hear it. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Written in plain, contemporary language and released earlier this month to much fanfare, her translation lays bare some of the inequalities between characters that other translations have elided. ( Log Out /  The Greek is kunopis, a rare word literally meaning dog-face, or dog-eye. Skip to content. I’m James. “Shall I conceal my thoughts or speak?” she says. This represents an important decision, since the actual language of Homer, drawing as it did on an old, oral tradition of bardic poetry, used a hodgepodge of dialects and vocabulary that was archaic even by the time the poem was written down. So it is with Wilson’s Odyssey. This translation will change the way the poem is read in English. “Tell me about a complicated man,” opens Emily Wilson’s new translation of Homer’s Odyssey, the first English version by a woman. She is certainly not to be quieted. Emily Wilson, the first woman to translate the Odyssey into English, is as concerned with these surrounding characters as she is with Odysseus himself. Review: A good intro if you haven't read the Odyssey before. E W March 7, 2018. And will Penelope accept a new husband before he makes it? Library Journal. It does not carry, argues Wilson, the overtones of female sexual destructiveness that are often applied in its translation. Directed by Emily Wilson-Quayle. By Author on September 25, 2020 • ( Leave a comment) By Rex Bowman. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) The Odyssey is an Ancient Greek epic poem which tells the story of Odysseus as he travels home after the Trojan war. And he is the only man of his fleet to reach Ithaca alive. Her translation of the Odyssey appeared in 2018. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Homer’s Odyssey is perhaps the best known poem ever written.Even today, Classicists learn ancient Greek in order to read the poem in its original language, although at least 70 English translations have been created since Chapman’s Whole Works of Homer was released in 1616. Emily Wilson is a classicist and reviews books for the Guardian. There’s a problem loading this menu right now. NOTE: This review is for Emily Wilson's translation of the Odyssey. He must face many dangers (and beautiful goddesses) on his journey to his homeland of Ithaca, but his troubles will not end when he reaches home. The scent of citrus and of brittle pineSuffused the island. From the Odyssey , adapted by Gillian Cross and illustrated by Neil Packer, published by Walker Books in 2013. The Odyssey is an Ancient Greek epic poem which tells the story of Odysseus as he travels home after the Trojan war. By Author on September 25, 2020 • ( Leave a comment) By Rex Bowman. “All’ oud’ hos hetairous erruasato” – “but even so he did not protect his companions”. The Odyssey is a classic text that I studied at university and I actually used parts of Wilson’s translation for my dissertation last year. Wilson’s translation is constantly alert to the cost of Odysseus’s homecoming. Emily Wilson has given us a staggeringly superior translation--true, poetic, lively and readable, and always closely engaged with the original Greek--that brings to life the fascinating variety of voices in Homer's great epic.--Richard F. Thomas, Harvard University "All the artistic choices work. (Wilson studied classics at Balliol College, Oxford – as, full disclosure, did I – and is now a professor of classics at the University of Pennsylvania.) It leads us to think of his duplicity, his cunning, his epic wanderings, his suffering, the things he does and things that are done to him on his journey home to Ithaca. I think that this translation would be good for both people who are new to The Odyssey as well as those who are more familiar with it. It's clear and direct, more than other translations. Book Review | The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson. It is staggering that such a breakthrough had to wait until 2017, but it is not a complete break with literary history. Translated by Emily Wilson. February 5, 2021 February 5, 2021. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99. Readers need not wade through purple and overblown blank verse, twice the length of the original text to finally arrive, with Odysseus in Ithaca. Book Reviews: Emily Wilson's 'The Odyssey' - Reviewed by Elizabeth Stockdale, Macquarie University . August 2018. Request A Book Review; Submissions . Emily Wilson employs elemental, resonant language and a five-beat line to produce a translation with an enchanting "rhythm and rumble" that avoids proclaiming its own grandeur. Emily Wilson is a classicist and reviews books for the Guardian. Emily Wilson has done something remarkable in presenting an Odysseus who’s part Jason Bourne, part Dr Who and part Hannibal Lecter. Already Wilson has set out her stall: clarity and cleanness are her watchwords; her epic voice is not one of grandeur or pomposity. Ever readable but endlessly surprising, this translation redefines the terms of modern engagement with Homer’s poetry." This video clip is from Dr. Emily Wilson's interview on episode #4 of The Western Canon Podcast. Emily Wilson Articles, Essays, and Reviews. Lillian Doherty, University of Maryland. 582p. Tim Whitmarsh "A remarkable new translation. There are few contexts in which to see this word in use, but it is applied by Euripides to the Furies, terrifying creatures that “hound” murderers. He must face many dangers (and beautiful goddesses) on his journey to his homeland of Ithaca, but his troubles will not end when he reaches … ( Log Out /  Here is Wilson’s translation of part of the description of the grove sheltering the nymph Calypso’s cave. The language is vivid and it avoids the kind of ye- oldiness which can bog translations down. Emily Wilson’s new translation of the Odyssey appears in our Summer issue. Emily Wilson's new translation of the Odyssey has, therefore, broken with tradition and has, for several reasons, contributed significantly to Homeric scholarship. Wilson enjoys and attends to the poem’s ensemble cast, some of them intriguing women who can do great damage to men when they open their mouths: the Sirens, who might hold you in their grip for ever with their seductive song; Charybdis, who is just one giant whirlpool of a mouth that might consume you; even Penelope, who is not always to be trusted to speak, and is twice silenced by sharp words from her son. The Guardian (December 8, 2017) "The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson review – a new cultural landmark" by Charlotte Higgins "Emily Wilson’s crisp and musical version is a cultural landmark. In a six-day livestream the Oklahoma Contemporary and the Kirkpatrick Foundation have brought together 24 musicians, actors, artists, and public officials to read Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey.The oral presentation of Homer’s epic poem is a digital recreation of collective listening and considers what it means to find home in an era in which the world is home-bound. E W March 7, 2018. -- Charlotte Higgins, Poetry Book of the Day - The Guardian E W March 7, 2018. Change ). The delicacy with which Odysseus checks that his wife remains loyal, while she holds off acknowledging him in case he is even more of a trickster than he appears to be, makes Book 19 of The Odyssey one of the first and greatest pieces of psychological drama, in which no one – readers, characters, and perhaps even the author (s) – knows exactly where they stand. However, I had not read her translation in full and was keen to do so. T he Odyssey—the ancient Greek epic attributed to Homer—has been translated into English at least 60 times since the seventeenth century. Emily Wilson's Odyssey sings with the spare, enchanted lucidity of a minstrel fallen through time. Tell me about a complicated man.Muse, tell me how he wandered and was lostwhen he had wrecked the holy town of Troy,and where he went, and who he met, the painhe suffered in the storms at sea, and howhe worked to save his life and bring his menback home. Emily Wilson's 'The Odyssey' - Reviewed by Elizabeth Stockdale, Macquarie University. Although classics remains a male-dominated fie Emily Wilson, trans., Homer: The Odyssey. ( Log Out /  Emily Wilson is a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Flip-flopping: Can heroes … Emily Wilson’s luminous translation of 'The Odyssey' quickened my senses. It means, literally, “many turned” or “much turning”. There have been many others; over sixty in … poetry and prose by James O'Brien Hello! Emily Wilson’s crisp and musical version is a cultural landmark. Classicist Emily Wilson's brisk and understated new version sweeps away much of the nostalgic detritus from the story of Odysseus's wandering … Emily Wilson is a family nurse practitioner in Ellicott City, MD and may see patients with Labor and Birth, Aging In Place, Breastfeeding and Lactation, and more. Armed with a sharp, scholarly rigour, she has produced a translation that exposes centuries of masculinist readings of the poem." — Charlotte Higgins, Poetry Book of the Day, The Guardian Laura Slatkin, New York University. He must face many dangers (and beautiful goddesses) on his journey to his homeland of Ithaca, but his troubles will not end when he reaches … 30/12/2019 0 Comments The Odyssey. From "Growing up with the Odyssey" Professor Wilson has contributed articles and reviews to publications such as The Atlantic, The Guardian, London Review of Books, The New Republic, The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, Paris Review, Slate, The Times Literary Supplement, and Time. “He could not save them from disaster,” is Robert Fagles’ version for Penguin. The renowned Jermyn Street Theatre – the West End’s smallest producing theatre – is truly keeping the wonder of theatre alive as it takes on the entirety of Homer’s The Odyssey.Across 12 hours, 72 wonderful actors have come together to read this epic poem, breathing life into a new version of the text, translated by Emily Wilson. Emily Wilson's brilliant introduction to her new translation of The Odyssey shows the classical world as capable of feminist inflections." Emily Wilson, the first woman to publish an English translation of Homer’s Odyssey, discusses how she reckoned with the story’s female characters. 30/12/2019 0 Comments The Odyssey. “He failed to keep them safe,” writes Wilson. Emily Rose Caroline Wilson (born 1971) is a British classicist and the College for Women Class of 1963 Term Professor in the Humanities at the University of Pennsylvania. Terms and Conditions; Essay Reading Emily Wilson’s Trash-Talking Odyssey in the Time of Covid. https://www.theguardian.com/.../the-odyssey-translated-emily-wilson-review The first into Latin was in the third century BC by a slave called Livius Andronicus. Back in Ithaca, his wife Penelope is being courted by many suitors who declare that Odysseus must be dead by now and she needs to choose a new husband. August 2018. Buy The Odyssey by Homer, Emily Wilson from Waterstones today! He slaughters his wife’s suitors and a dozen female slaves in order to regain his property and status. The first version of Homer’s groundbreaking work by a woman will change our understanding of it for ever. Request A Book Review; Submissions . A New York Times Notable Book of 2018 "Wilson’s language is fresh, unpretentious and lean…It is rare to find a translation that is at once so effortlessly easy to read and so rigorously considered." There have been many others; … It also contains passages of stillness and sheer delight. In a feat that has earned her a MacArthur “Genius Grant,” Emily Wilson has recently provided a first-rate English translation of The Odyssey. Please consider registering as a member of the International Spenser Society, the professional organization that supports The Spenser Review. The Odyssey: : Homer; Wilson, Emily (Translator) - ISBN 9780393356250 ( Log Out /  Her translation of “The Odyssey” was published in November by W. W. Norton & Company. To order a copy for £30 go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. —Madeline Miller, author of Circe . Now goddess, child of Zeus,tell the old story for our modern times.Find the beginning. Back Savouring Emily Wilson’s translation of ‘The Odyssey’ Posted by James O'Brien May 12, 2020 October 1, 2020. The Odyssey has been translated many times. Homer. The introduction is around 90 pages long and is a detailed contextualisation of Homer (whoever ‘he’ was), the traditions behind and around The Odyssey, and Wilson’s own choices in translating them. In the case of Emily Wilson’s smart and exciting new Odyssey, the answer to all those questions is a resounding yes … Wilson’s language is fresh, unpretentious and lean.