Acclaimed classical scholar Emily Wilson is undertaking a complete retranslation of Homer’s The Odyssey less than a decade after her landmark 2017 edition. Speaking from Philadelphia in August 2026, the University of Pennsylvania professor said her methods have evolved, coinciding with her sharp public critique of Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster film adaptation.
A Rare Literary Reconsideration: Why a Translator Starts Over
Translators rarely return to full-length classical epics to start from scratch, particularly within ten years of a commercial success. Yet Emily Wilson has confirmed she is about halfway through an entirely new translation of Homer’s ancient Greek text from her home in Philadelphia, where she serves as a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
Wilson told the Associated Press during a Zoom interview conducted by national writer Hillel Italie that it was a complete retranslation and not a revision of the old version.
Her 2017 volume marked a historic milestone as the first major English-language translation of the epic by a woman according to published records. Industry experts note the unprecedented nature of the undertaking. Kate Deimling, who oversees the literary division of the American Translators Association, observed that while translators occasionally issue subsequent editions with minor edits, starting over entirely on a successful text is virtually unheard of in modern publishing.
Refining the Ancient Text and Managing Publisher Tensions
Wilson’s decision to retranslate the foundational epic stems from both evolving scholarly methods and a desire to correct perceived shortcomings in her earlier work. She pointed specifically to her frequent use of the word slave
in the 2017 text, noting that ancient Greek employs distinct terms for various categories of enslaved people that deserve more precise rendering.
The forthcoming edition will also be longer and designed to better reflect the diverse social strata within Homer’s poem pursuant to her updated approach. However, the project has created logistical complications. Wilson acknowledged that having two recent editions by the same translator presents a challenge for educators selecting texts for classrooms, joking that she hopes teachers will not curse her name.
When she initially brought the idea to her publisher, the reaction was complicated. Reporters noted from the interview that when asked how her publisher responded, Wilson said her decision was very controversial. Even so, Peter Simon, her editor at Liveright Publishing, offered supportive backing for the ambitious undertaking.
Peter Simon, editor at Liveright Publishing, stated that since she has poured so much of her life and scholarship into The Odyssey, her new approach is bound to be thrilling.
Clashing With Hollywood: The Reaction to Christopher Nolan’s Blockbuster
This renewed scholarly focus arrives alongside an intense cultural debate sparked by Christopher Nolan’s cinematic adaptation of the epic. Nolan publicly credited Wilson’s 2017 translation—specifically its famous opening line about a complicated man—as a primary inspiration for his film project. Yet Wilson did not reciprocate the praise, publishing a scathing review in the London Review of Books that dissected the blockbuster’s shortcomings.
Wilson characterized the film as grandiose and superficial and described parts of it as incoherent.
Broadening the Scholarly Horizon With New Essays
Through these writings and her ongoing retranslation project, Wilson continues to shape how modern audiences engage with antiquity, demonstrating that ancient texts remain living documents continually reshaped by contemporary concerns.
