Full Breakdown
Emily Wilson Announces Complete Retranslation of Homer’s *Odyssey*
9/2/2026, 12:15:20 PM
The New Translation Initiative
Emily Wilson, the classicist whose 2017 verse translation of Homer’s *Odyssey* was the first major English version published by a woman, has confirmed that she is “about halfway through” a complete retranslation of the epic. No publication date has been set.
Background and Context
Wilson’s 2017 translation, released in December 2017 by W. W. Norton, matched Homer’s line count and quickly became a bestseller, praised for its accessibility. The controversy preceded Wilson’s decision to begin a new translation.
Data and Statistics
- UK print sales: According to the Guardian, sales of Wilson’s translation rose 1,400 % in the four weeks to July 25 compared with the same period in 2025, following the film’s mid-month release.
- Audiobook purchases: A Times representative reported that year-over-year purchases on Audible in the U.S., U.K., and Canada were up more than 600 %.
- Global title sales: The same source noted a nearly six-fold increase in daily global sales during the week the movie premiered.
- Box-office performance: The film opened with $264.1 million worldwide, giving Nolan his biggest opening weekend and surpassing the $249 million debut of *The Dark Knight Rises*.
Official Statements & Responses
She also said her earlier version relied too heavily on the word “slave,” and the new edition will employ more precise terminology for the various forms of enslavement depicted in the poem.
Matthew Reynolds, professor of English and comparative criticism at Oxford University, noted that “translators quite often rework or rewrite their own previous translations,” placing Wilson’s project within a long literary tradition.
Criticism & Opposition
Novelist Joyce Carol Oates responded to Wilson’s film review by accusing her of “haughty superiority.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “I’m proud of my Odyssey translation … I think there are lots of good things about the kinds of compression and choices that I was forced into,” — Emily Wilson
- “Translators quite often rework or rewrite their own previous translations,” — Matthew Reynolds, professor of English and comparative criticism at Oxford University
What’s Next
While a publication date remains unannounced, Wilson will discuss her translation work at The Rumpus Book Club on September 25 at 7 p.m. ET, where she will join host Debbie Millman and author Roxane Gay for a conversation about the new edition.
