On the Wilson Translations

Last updated: 2025-01-04

Emily Wilson’s translations of the Odyssey and the Iliad are great contributions to the canon.

• There is no perfect or “true” translation. However, we are fortunate to have many translations of ancient texts; they allow us to consider the language and literature from many vantage points. You should read many translations.
• Wilson’s translations are ambitious in form and in their context.
• They are also often lyrical and beautiful.
• The translator’s note for the Odyssey is worth a read. It’s clear that Wilson has questioned older biases in the translations. It’s also clear she has brought her own to the text. Both of these are fine (see the first point).
• The restrictions Wilson puts on herself in her translation of the Odyssey are a result of the ambition. The syllabic + line restrictions conflict, however, and undermine the translation.
• Wilson clearly does not hate men generally or Homer specifically. What a bizarre thing to say.
• It is important that she’s the first woman to translate the texts and publish those translations. Don’t you think it’s strange that hadn’t happened yet?
• A lot of this discourse is clearly identity-driven backlash against an intelligent, hardworking person doing quality work.

Ungenerous reflections on The Discourse:

• People seem to need something to be written in a high register to think it is Good.
• People seem not to have read these translations past the first page of The Odyssey.
• People seem to really struggle with (ie. chuck tantrums when introduced to) the idea of a complex character; there is some sort of Disney-hero version of Odysseus living in people’s minds.
• People who say things like “Wilson hates Homer” show their hand. What a genuinely ridiculous, thoughtless thing to say.