The Odyssey

I have read and studied many translations of the Odyssey. Emily Wilson's is unique for several reasons. She uses a shorter poetic line than others, which makes the reading fast-paced and concise. She refuses to euphemize the slaves as "servants" and "handmaidens" the way most translators do. She avoids trying to sound archaic. If you have had trouble making it through other translations of the Odyssey, this is the one for you to try. Wilson is incredibly thoughtful about all of her translation choices, and she details these decisions in her introduction (and on her Substack). You will definitely want to read her introduction, which is full of information and ideas that will help readers understand Homer's world, Ancient Greek culture, the themes and characters, and the politics of translation. Wilson is both an amazing translator and a great scholar. I recently wrote Homer's Odyssey Retold for Young Adults (ISBN: 979-8245756035). In doing so, I re-read many translations (Fagles', Lombardo's, Fitzgerald's, and Wilson's). All of them, along with Daniel Mendelsohn's recent one, are worthwhile, often for different reasons. Wilson uses a ten-syllable line, about half as long as Homer's, while limiting herself to the same overall number of lines as he used. That means she has to leave out a lot. Other translators use longer lines and/or allow themselves more lines overall than Wilson does. I encourage readers to sample many translations by using the "Search Inside" feature on Amazon to find the one (or ones!) that best speaks to them. Physically, this edition of the book is well-made and beautiful. Instead of the usual picture of Odysseus, the cover features a detail from an ancient Minoan fresco painting known as "Ladies in Blue," accented with reflective gold, silver, and blue foil. The book's deckel edges give it the feel of a special edition. The pages are thick, the margins ample, and the binding user-friendly. Frank Hering, author of Homer's Odyssey Retold for Young Adults (ISBN: 979-8245756035) and Virgil's Aeneid Retold for Young Adults (ISBN: 978-1687197221).

Eminently readable as well as vivid and exciting, this translation delivers Homer and the wily hero Odysseus with energy and clarity.

I picked up Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey in hardcover, and it ended up being one of the most unexpectedly engaging reading experiences I’ve had with a classic. What stands out immediately is the clarity. This version reads clean and direct without feeling stripped down or overly modernized. Wilson doesn’t try to imitate archaic English, but she also doesn’t flatten the poetry. The language has rhythm, momentum, and intention. You feel the story moving forward, which matters a lot for a narrative built on journeys, delays, and returns. The pacing is noticeably sharper than in other translations I’ve tried. Scenes that can feel dense or repetitive elsewhere—especially the wanderings or the court scenes—come through with tension and purpose. Odysseus feels less like a distant mythic figure and more like a complicated, sometimes frustrating human being. The same goes for Penelope, who comes across as far more perceptive and controlled than in many older versions. One thing I appreciated was how Wilson handles tone. She doesn’t romanticize everything. There’s a groundedness to the violence, the power dynamics, and the treatment of servants and women that feels more honest to the world the poem is coming from. It doesn’t feel like the text is being “cleaned up” or softened. Physically, the hardcover itself is well made. It has a solid weight, the binding feels durable, and the layout is easy on the eyes. The lines are spaced in a way that supports the flow of the verse rather than making it feel cramped or academic. If you’ve struggled to get through The Odyssey before, this is probably the version that will change that. And if you already know the story, this translation still offers something new—it sharpens the characters and makes the emotional undercurrents more visible without losing the epic scale. Overall, this is one of the most readable and thoughtful translations available right now. It respects the original while actually inviting you into it, which isn’t something every version manages to do.

I knew nothing about Homer, the Iliad, or the Odyssey before I picked up this book. If you're in the same boat and are thinking about reading this ahead of Christopher Nolan's movie, here are some thoughts. First, the book is very accessible. The language is direct, forthright, and often beautiful. For newbies, the introduction is illuminating and addresses modern readers directly; Watson does a great job. The story itself is well annotated, but is also refreshingly direct. Even for me, I realized I knew a lot of the plot and many of the characters. Odysseus isn't an obvious hero in a modern sense; he is selfish, vainglorious, violent, proud...his long journey back to Ithaca is plagued by his faults as much as by the whims of the Gods. His eventual return, unrecognized by his own people, and his brutal revenge on those who crossed him don't fit with our modern hero/antihero expectations (I have no idea how Nolan will navigate all this). Some of it felt breathtaking, some of it felt dull. A lot of it felt ancient and from a time very different from ours. Recommended.

I’ll leave it to the classic scholars to debate the translation. I enjoyed it. The 100 pages of explanation before helped understand Ancient Greek society. Highly recommended.

This translation has great poetic rhythm, and very approachable language. Wilson also provides insightful analysis in the introduction and summaries providing context for some of the tradeoffs she made in translation.

For fans of the odyssey, Emily’s translation is a must read. Very different language than the most that try to elevate the language. Rather, her translation is direct and fast moving, giving the story a new sense of urgency and pacing.

This translation makes the poem come alive in a way that none of the others have done for me. As a story, as a reading experience, as an opportunity to be immersed in the magic of another time and place, this translation is better than any other translation I've read. (I've read Fagles, Lattimore, and Lombardo, for comparison). If you've read other English translations and they've left you cold, you need to pick this one up. You will finally understand why Homer's epics have survived as long as they have, and why even now they are so revered. Wilson's translation will make you fall in love (or fall *back* in love) with Homer's imaginative world.

وصلني الكتاب وبالنصف فيه زي الشق واضح والصفحات داخله ببعض بسببه

Thank you gods and Wilson for this amazing book !! If not for this translation I wouldn't have lasted the first round in the battle of reading homer!

The pages are not cut correctly. This is not a printing error, but it’s deliberately designed that way.

I love the cover and the deckled-edging of this book, it's gorgeous. Wilson's translation isn't just historic, it may be the best translation of The Odyssey. I'm very excited to read this in full, saving it for a book club reading.

Das beste an diesem Buch sind aus meiner Sicht die Hintergrundinformationen der Autorin (Übersetzerin) zur Entstehung der Geschichte, div. Hinweisen warum sie welches Wort auf eine bestimmte Art übersetzt hat, etc.