Emily Wilson to retranslate The Odyssey for final time after film row and sales boom

Entertainment
2 Sep 2026 • 4:41 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Emily Wilson to retranslate The Odyssey for final time after film row and sales boom

  • Acclaimed translator Emily Wilson has announced she is halfway through a complete, from-scratch retranslation of Homer's The Odyssey, less than a decade after releasing her groundbreaking 2017 version.
  • The announcement comes shortly after Wilson publicly criticised Christopher Nolan's film adaptation of the Greek epic, calling the script abysmal and lacking psychological and emotional depth.
  • Unlike her initial translation, which strictly matched the line count of Homer's original Greek text, the new edition will be longer, allow for more varied pacing, and replace the overused word slave with more precise terms for ancient categories of enslaved people.
  • Despite Wilson's dissatisfaction with the film adaptation, Nolan's movie achieved a record-breaking $264.1m worldwide opening weekend and caused UK sales of Wilson's original translation to surge by over 1,000 per cent.
  • Wilson confirmed that this upcoming edition will be her final translation of The Odyssey, noting that her editors will cut her off after this release so she can focus on other projects.

IN FULL

Newswav Malaysia Best News App

Newswav is an online content aggregator and obtains its content from different online sources. The content in the app do not belong to Newswav nor do they reflect the opinions of Newswav and its staff. Your use of this app indicates your understanding and acceptance of this information.

Newswav Sdn. Bhd. (201701008480 (1222645-M)) 2026 All Rights Reserved