Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature

by Emily Wilson

"An enthralling and profoundly relevant book." ―Salman Rushdie

"I adored reading these joyful, illuminating, and engrossing journeys through ancient literature." ―Madeline Miller

From the most celebrated translator of our time comes a visionary exploration of how translation reshapes and enriches our understanding of the ancient world.

Drawing on twenty years of scholarship and translation experience, Emily Wilson―renowned translator of Homer's Odyssey and Iliad―explores the difficult choices that translators must make, the pleasures of finding new solutions to old problems, and the inevitable frustrations of never fully capturing what is in the original work. Across chapters that range from the politics of Helen of Troy to the obscenities of Aristophanes, from Roman imitation of Greek models to contemporary debates over "foreignizing" and "domesticizing" translation styles, Wilson examines how modern norms of gender, sexuality, violence, humor, and power complicate our readings of ancient works, and how translation always risks denaturing what is unique and strange about the ancient world. Brilliant, erudite, and yet accessible to listeners with no classics background, Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea is at once an introduction to the wonders of Greek and Roman literature, a manifesto for the value of translation in a rapidly changing world, and an invitation to encounter ancient cultures anew.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Classics, Mythology, Essays, Literary Criticism, Greek Mythology

9 pages, Audible Audio

First published June 4, 2026

About the author

Emily R. Wilson (b. 1971) is a Professor in the Department of Classical Studies and Chair of the Program in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory. She has a BA from Oxford in Classics, an M. Phil., also from Oxford, in English Literature (1500-1660), and a Ph.D. from Yale in Classics and Comparative Literature. Her first book was Mocked with Death: Tragic overliving from Sophocles to Milton (Johns Hopkins, 2004). Her second book was The Death of Socrates: Hero, Villain, Chatterbox, Saint (Harvard UP 2007). Her third was "Seneca: A Life" (also published in the US as "The Greatest Empire": Penguin/ OUP USA, 2015). She has published verse translations of Seneca's tragedies (Oxford World's Classics), Euripides ("The Greek Plays", Modern Library Random House), and The Odyssey (Norton, fall 2017). Other publications include various chapters and articles on the reception of classical literature in English literature, and reviews in the TLS and LRB. She is the classics editor for the revised Norton Anthology of World Literature, and Western Literature.

Reviews

[Marc Lamot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very eager to read this book, as I was already familiar with Emily Wilson through her acclaimed translations of the *Iliad* and the *Odyssey*—works I had read myself. I knew from that experience that she isn't afraid to make bold choices and put her own unique stamp on the text. This book collects thirteen of her previously published articles; they include a detailed account of her translation process for the *Odyssey*, as well as pieces on Sappho, Greek and Latin comedy and tragedy, and more. While the focus is on translation, the broader context inevitably comes into play, making the book to some extent an introduction to the culture of the ancient world. Wilson also holds strong views on the current state of the world; while this is certainly refreshing, the downside is that the book (published in 2023) risks becoming dated quite quickly. I read it with great interest and enjoyment, though there is one odd misstep where she launches a rather elitist tirade against the "armchair classicists" who venture into translations.
Read more on my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, and I really, really wanted to like this more than I did. With the provision that this is no commentary on Wilson’s translation work, this specific piece of work strayed off the point far too often to be cohesive and thoughtful. There were sections where the author would stray off to make what was an attempt at witty political or socio-economic commentary that just came out awkward and aggressive - even if I did agree with the point being made.

The good, however, was that when this was good, it was really good. Wilson’s strengths shined through when discussing topics she was comfortable with and deeply knowledgeable of - like translations of Homer and the Iliad, and Greek history. Those were the parts I found not only the most interesting but the most well constructed.

[Tumblyhome · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think my review is marked as a review of an advanced copy. This isn’t correct. I bought the book in the UK after the UK release.

First let me say that I am a huge fan of Emily Wilson’s translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey. I have read these by a few different translators and always come back to Wilson’s because of the beautiful way she makes the stories sound, her excellent notes about translation choices and because it was her The Odyssey that got me reading these classic texts, for which I will be eternally grateful.

So I bought this book with some excitement about reading it. I really enjoyed the first chapter about Sappho. The parts about translation were really interesting and helpful. BUT..

My ebbing enthusiasm is partly my fault because I thought the book was just about the huge subject of translation.. but it sort of lost that theme in places. It probably never set out to be only about that, except the notes on the front flap are a little deceiving in that case.

My main reason for 1 star, (and as time has passed since reading this book, my annoyance has grown… ) is that I felt she was far too scathing about other writers and readers too in some cases. For example, as a none academic reader, I much enjoyed Bettany Hughes book about Helen of Troy. E.g. Wilson claims Hughes has a dollop of ‘naïveté’ by suggesting a …

‘biography of a mythical character from 3,000 years ago could possibly be reconstructed’.

This is not an impression I took away from Hughes book. In fact I thought Hughes constantly spoke of how Helen as a historical figure was in fact a pure concept. Rather, Hughes was saying that that view of Helen can tell us much indirectly about how the people viewed women and have done through history. Hughes book isn’t deeply scholarly, it was written for a general public who are interested, as such it felt unfair of Wilson to disparage it in the way she did.

Books like that give people like me a grounding that they can then expand on and start learning more. I disliked that Hughes is described by Wilson as ‘television presenter Bettany Hughes’ … it felt demeaning, I felt it was meant to be.

So I came to the essay entitled Ancient Worlds. Again there is a tone I definitely didn’t enjoy. Ok Edith Hamilton might not be a perfect example of how to ‘accurately’ tell ancient stories (whatever that means), but the tone regarding e.g. Mary Beard, Stephen Fry etc was patronising.
The comment that translators Fagles, Rieu, Fitzgerald, Fry, Holland having ‘no training in the field’.. was harsh…and she comments that the success of Holland, like Fry being ‘especially in the UK’… maybe I am sensitive but that felt like a loaded comment…ummmm i am in the UK….I was unsure how to take that! Debate with other writers, historians and translators is fine but one sided snide comments are not.

Wilson goes on to say

‘Armchair classicists often lay claim to a radically simplified and distorted version of the ancient world shaped by modern ideological projections and constructions of ‘tradition’ that map suspiciously well onto contemporary right wing values and contemporary Catholic or evangelical beliefs’

If simplification is the problem in all this then that needed examples and expanding. I believe that statement maybe be true of maybe a small minority, but Wilson didn’t give a single example despite her going on to say that ‘public perceptions are very often….simplified thanks in no small part to Hamilton as well as Fry, Haynes and others’. So a more nuanced essay might have stepped away from sweeping statements with no examples and clarified precisely what she meant.. and I would argue that Fry, Haynes and others have done marvellous work in prompting people to discover more about classics..

I really HATED the term armchair classicist. How demeaning of people like me who probably are just that. I have a background as a scientist, not a classicist but have come to ancient texts late… I initially read simplified books, some of the translations Wilson speaks of by Holland etc. I grew more and more interested and have delved deeper and deeper with works by Dodds and more recent writers. It was those books by Fry etc that initially peaked my curiosity.

People who come to classics like me, are not so stupid that we don’t recognise the ‘simplified, domesticated and outdated nature’ of some books (as Wilson phrases it) but we have to start somewhere and those very popular writers have done incredible jobs in reeling in readers who discover a love of classics enough to want to learn ancient languages and read much more deeply… (despite scholarly books on the subject being soooooo flippin’ expensive and being unable to access more academic papers).
I am 100% certain that even the young Emily Wilson had something that made her interested in Classics and I bet it was not initially academic writings.

Armchair classicists often have more passion than many a classics student… we can find the way to more in-depth books. I study classics from my ‘armchair’ … step from original texts to more academic analysis with no academic guidance other than curiosity and suggestions referenced within books like Wilson’s own and others.


Wilson ends the chapter by saying


‘we must show members of the intelligent reading public the respect they deserve, by offering nuanced, clear, interesting analysis of antiquity in all its glorious alien complexity’.

I hope she doesn’t mean that there is a subset of ‘intelligent ’ readers… I will assume that is not what is meant.. i firmly believe that readers are readers… whatever they get fulfilment from reading..and intelligent readers are pretty much everyone..BUT….. often in order to come to some of the more nuanced and scholarly texts, we, the reading public, need an introduction and something to make us realise that classical studies are INCREDIBLE. For me that came via Fry, Wilson’s Odyssey and Tom Hollands Herodotus… and I don’t care that Holland has ‘no training in the field…’ I have gone on to read other translations and am working my way through anything I can get my hands on, classic texts, reviews, analyses and anything and everything I can afford…I am well into learning Attic Greek but it came from simple and much enjoyed beginnings..but then again I am in the UK 🙄

Really that sentence, focusing on ‘WE must show’ to the ‘public’ really does smack nastily of superiority..I have met this attitude from colleagues in academic science , it rankled then.. it does here too. The public are not dim…
I would say to Wilson ‘go on, underestimate me, that will be fun’

And if Mary Beard is commented on by Wilson in a slightly sneering way for attaining a ‘soap box’ on all things from ‘Brexit to global history of culture and the Internet’ I wondered how it was ok then for her, Wilson, to do the same… but I guess it is her book and therefore her soapbox.

BUT

I agree that Alice Oswalds Memorial was incredible…. But as Wilson points out in that superior way, she does have ‘a BA in classics from Oxford’ ..for goodness sake.

And if I have misunderstood the nature of Wilson’s comments in this book I am happy to be challenged on what I have said… it is just that I increasingly got the feeling of almost elitism and belittling.

[Sense of History]

Naturally, this book— in fact a collection of thirteen essays—focuses primarily on the craft of translation, specifically the translation of literary texts from Greek and Roman antiquity. Through her years of experience, Emily Wilson has inevitably gained deeper insights into the nature of that ancient world, and these are reflected here and there throughout the text. I found the essays on Sappho, on how Rome created its own literature from Greek models, on the shifting perceptions of Helen of Troy, and on Stoicism to be particularly interesting.

I will limit myself here to the last of these. Wilson holds a very strong, rather negative view of Stoicism: “It is a philosophical and psychological system designed to comfort the rich and powerful for any perceived limits on their power, by assuring them that they are, after all, in control of everything that matters. It also conveniently promotes an idea of ​​‘virtue’ that is compatible with ignoring or enabling the suffering of everyone else in the world.” Control is the central theme of this philosophical-ethical school of thought, according to her, and she does not hesitate to link this to its popularity in our own time: “Stoicism is not designed to make the world a better place, nor even to nurture kindness in the individual Stoic. Rather, it is a philosophy designed to help individuals, especially very privileged individuals, align themselves with the universe as it already exists, and thereby shore up their sense of their own unassailable strength and importance, even in the face of pain, trouble and death.” That sounds highly disparaging, yet there is certainly a grain of truth to it: Stoicism revolves primarily around the “Self,” as Wilson rightly notes—a concept that contrasts sharply with monotheistic systems, where the relationship with others takes center stage (though Wilson does not discuss the latter).

The author is certainly not afraid to express herself bluntly. However, this sometimes leads to missteps. In her article on the American schoolteacher Edith Hamilton (1868–1963), she tears apart the amateurism with which Hamilton—from the 1930s onward—released translations of Greek works and presented an idealized vision of Greek culture. In the same breath, she vents her scorn on the many “armchair classicists,” such as Tom Holland and Stephen Fry, who popularize classical antiquity today. While her criticism is undoubtedly not entirely unfounded, the manner in which she expresses it is a reprehensible form of academic elitism. It is a blemish on an otherwise very interesting book.

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘I like the Lavigne lyrics for ‘Complicated’ as a text with a kind of resonance with the Odyssey: ‘acting like you’re somebody else’ is a central feature of Odysseus’s polytropia, and it’s essential to how and why he survives. If you do hear the song in the line, maybe it helps suggest the connotations of ‘many guises’ that are there in the original word. Sometimes you do have to make everything so complicated, sometimes you gotta wear your preppy clothes and strike a pose (or at least get your multiple goddess makeovers) if you want to survive as the warrior king of Ithaca.’

‘Samuel L. Jackson would make a great Odysseus—I sometimes worry that ‘complicated man’ suggests something too internal, too psychological. But I also know that one can’t avoid anachronistic connotations, in the inherently anachronistic process of translating from Homeric Greek to English, or indeed any modern language. It’s a compromise, as is every translation choice ever. The question is how to choose the least bad compromise.’

‘If I live another twenty years, and retain the capacity to read, and if the world is still habitable by humans, I hope to see younger people come up with much better solutions than mine. I also suspect that we will have more important things to worry about by then.’

[Grace Btrs (very busy - semi ia - trying to catch up)]

Pre-read:
Not me waiting for ages to get a physical copy of an Emily Wilson, but managing to get my hands on an ARC AND ALC before that.🤷🏻‍♀️

[Richard Derus · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Real Rating: 4.5* of five

The Publisher Says: "An enthralling and profoundly relevant book." —Salman Rushdie

"I adored reading these joyful, illuminating, and engrossing journeys through ancient literature." —Madeline Miller

From the most celebrated translator of our time comes a visionary exploration of how translation reshapes and enriches our understanding of the ancient world.

In this sharp and often entertaining tour through antiquity, Emily Wilson—whose renditions of Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad have captured a generation’s imagination—explores the complicated terrain of reading and writing about the ancient past. Drawing on twenty years of scholarship and teaching, Wilson explores the difficult choices that translators must make, the pleasures of finding new solutions to old problems, and the inevitable frustrations of never fully capturing what is in the original work.

Across chapters that range from the politics of Helen of Troy to the obscenities of Aristophanes, from Roman imitation of Greek models to contemporary debates over “foreignizing” and “domesticizing” styles, Wilson examines how modern norms of gender, sexuality, violence, humor, and power complicate our readings of ancient works, and how translation always risks denaturing what is unique and strange about the ancient world.

Brilliant, erudite, and yet accessible to readers with no classical background, Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea is at once an introduction to the wonders of Greek and Roman literature, a manifesto for the value of translation in a rapidly changing world, and an invitation to encounter ancient cultures anew.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: What I expected was more jabbing at Christopher Nolan for his 3.25/4 master's thesis on the subject of "How The Odyssey Reflects the 21st Century's Everlasting Love for Homeric Misogyny." I did not get that. What I did NOT expect was her comparing Aristophanes in translation to Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B in their "WAP" music video by saying "...his linguistic effects depend, like theirs, on the artful manipulation of rhythm and sound in words and imagery."

I seriously doubt her father, eminent Victorianist A.N. Wilson, would approve of his first-born child even knowing what any of that meant...I was, I confess, the mildest bit shocked. (I sat with flycatcher-mouth for five minutes.)

So, well, Author Emily Wilson does not travel by any more conventional a route here, discussing the weird and wonderful (except Lucretius, Satanic forefather of poetical obscurantism *ptooptoo*sign of the horns*) world of ancient imaginations as recorded in their stories than she did when she asked "tell me about a complicated man." And that decision has honestly received far, far more attention that it merited, mostly because it dares to be clear and to express an accurate assessment of the story that follows. I think her honesty in choosing the use of the word "slave" throughout her translation alone gives an excellent reason for the existence of this book.

The ancient world whose literature has made Author Emily's career was so incredibly unlike our own world that it seems to me the term "translation" is too mild, almost dismissive, when applied to the task of explanation and explication it masks. No basic assumptions are shared; no ideas about humanity, about the manner in which the world goes about its work, remains in common. What does remain in common is human nature, human emotions, humanness itself. Language and culture are not the same but the creatures creating them are.

I found the reading experience very illuminating. I will say that someone from the intellectual background, with the education, and leading the professorial life she has, is not going to come across as just folks or someone you'd meet in the canned food aisle of the Walmart. I would be shocked to see her in Walmart, given the scolding she dished out to Nolan for filming his beautiful-looking but brovian story in Western Sahara. Intersectionality is very much on ortholefty lines. I'm not knocking her! I too am more ortholefty than centrist, so yay...but it really shows. Not everyone will like it.

Not everyone should. I want Author Emily's brave new world with its people who are open to seeing the strangeness of the past clearly and honestly and still not Revering, not at all rejecting, its truth, to come to pass. Now I need to read Iliad to see what she does with Achilles and Patroclus.

I have high hopes. Among my higher hopes are that you'll pick up this tendentious work of recontextualization, recentering, and renewal of our human roots.

[Oliver Maynard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marketed as Wilson’s personal reflections on the art of translation and her own experiences wrestling with Homer’s texts, I approached her new book with a real sense of excitement. I adore her Odyssey and Iliad, and often find the translator’s notes the most rewarding part of the experience. They not only illuminate misconceptions born of centuries of retranslations, but also encourage the reader to think more deeply about communication itself, and about the ways an ancient text can speak directly to our own times.

I was somewhat disappointed, then, to discover that the book feels more like a patchwork of ideas than a sustained argument, stitched together into something eminently marketable. If I were being cynical, it feels as though an agent asked for another book, perhaps to ride the wave of renewed interest surrounding Nolan’s Odyssey, and the solution was not to write something substantially new but to weave together a rough tapestry of Wilson’s London Review of Books essays, lectures and social media threads. Almost every chapter follows a familiar formula: introduce an ancient text or concept, discuss it in an accessible, lightly scholarly way, touch briefly on translation, then conclude with a twee link to a contemporary political or social issue.

In the vein of her recent article critiquing Nolan’s Odyssey, there are genuinely stimulating ideas interspersed with more questionable ones. Her attempts to engage with questions of intersectionality are admirable, but can feel tokenistic rather than deeply interrogated. Her criticisms of fellow classicists and translators occasionally come across as unnecessarily sharp, while her chapter on outreach left me oddly unconvinced. Ironically, it reads as though it were written by someone who has spent little time speaking with school teachers, students or the wider public, and in trying to dismantle the ivory tower, it sometimes seems instead to reinforce the impression that she is writing from within it.

That said, the final chapter is genuinely excellent and finally delivers on the promise of the book’s marketing: “Emily Wilson has spent a lifetime wrestling with these questions…”. Here we are given exactly what many readers will have been hoping for. Wilson compares earlier translations, analyses the Greek with characteristic clarity, and explains the reasoning behind her own choices. I learned more about the nuanced mythological resonances of the opening of Book 5, Homer’s careful language in presenting the Cyclops as recognisably human rather than simply monstrous, the ethical complications surrounding passages involving enslaved people, and, perhaps most satisfyingly, the long-debated decision to render polytropos as “complicated”. It is insightful, generous, and intellectually invigorating.

I only wish the rest of the book had trusted this material enough to make it the focus. When Wilson writes about translation itself, she remains one of the finest classicists writing today. Too often, however, the book wanders away from its greatest strength.

[Tamara Agha-Jaffar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature by Emily Wilson consists of a series of essays exploring the works of various classical Greek and Roman authors, including Aeschylus, Sappho, Demosthenes, Catallus, and Aristophanes. Wilson takes it a step further by showing how several contemporary works that are spin-offs from the classics have transformed the material to address their time and place. Some familiarity with the classics that come under the scrutiny of her discerning eye maybe helpful but not essential.

Emily Wilson calls it as she sees it. She is unabashed in her critiques of previous translations, sharing her views openly by labeling them boring, long-winded, sentimental, myopic, etc. But she is also quick to praise a translation which she considers commendable, highlighting a turn of phrase or a choice of words she finds appealing.

A recurring thread in the collection articulates the challenges of translation and the multiple possibilities from which a choice must be made. Wilson interrogates the goal of translation: Should it simply capture the spirit of the original and select words and rhyming patterns to increase accessibility to a reader unfamiliar with the original? Or should it capture the original in all its strangeness in diction and rhyme and cultural specificity? Wilson takes a middle ground by arguing a translation must be reader-friendly while capturing the complexity and cultural inflections of the original. She argues this applies not only to word choice but also to the form and rhyming pattern of the original, so that, for example, an original in verse should not be rendered as prose. She determines that each translation is, in effect, an interpretation.

The breadth, depth, and scope of Wilson’s knowledge of the classics is impressive. Her ability to analyze modern renditions is equally impressive. Her tone is conversational; her voice is engaging. She can be very funny when poking fun at missteps in translation. But where she really shines is in her chapter on translating the Odyssey. She compares her predecessors’ different translations of the same passage in Homer before offering her translation. She shows how modern sensibilities can distort the meaning of the original. She describes her struggle to find just the right word that is as faithful to the original as she can make it. And she is honest enough to admit she is not completely satisfied with her choice.

Wilson is lively, engaging, insightful. Her thoughts on the challenges of translation are illuminating. Above all, what emerges from this wonderful collection is Emily Wilson’s bubbling enthusiasm for the classics—an enthusiasm that is thoroughly and justifiably infectious.

My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com

[Luna and Co · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a true journey through ancient literature. I live with a translator, so I'm used to hearing about the complexity of translating certain texts, but this book opened a new window into this world. We read translations of ancient texts without thinking about the original or the choices that were made, but now I kinda want to read multiple translations of the Odyssey and compare them. I learned so much. I listened to the audiobook and I wasn't sure about her narration but after about 45 minutes I started loving it.

Thank you, Netgalley and Highbridge Audio, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

[Umbar · Rating 4 out of 5]

If like me, you find Wilson's introductions alone to be worth the price of admission, you will enjoy this. Very refreshing to read her comparative analysis of different approaches to translation. I could and will read several books about this in my lifetime.

I'm also not across the comedies, and certainly not Roman comedies, so some chapters in the middle provided a very interesting crash course. TBR list accordingly updated.

[Ella-Mae Campling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody brilliant. No notes, aside from the fact that my copy is LITTERED IN THEM. A rare find. A book that reminds me the absolute passion and joy you can find hidden inside something you already love. Urgh so many thoughts and excavations I need to drum up into an official review but woah.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, THAT Emily Wilson, first woman to translate the Odyssey into English, and only the second in terms of the Iliad, also known as: a total bad***
Genuinely one of the most fascinating, engrossing non fiction books I’ve had the pleasure of reading in recent years. Investigating the trials and tribulations that accompanies classical translation as well as the art of translation and how it is an eternal battle of fighting own societal contexts and beliefs in what is being said. From studies on particular fragments (with the ancient Greek to accompany), Wilson dissects translators choices, as well as highlights how many of the current editions of the foundational texts of the Iliad and the Odyssey are written not by those who prioritise authenticity in translation, but instead prioritize the story and it’s function as a piece of fiction, and by doing so, often create new beliefs and assumptions into the general public’s understanding of these classics. One example -that I, as someone who has read 5+ translations, had no idea about- was that the original Greek translation does not label Polyphemus as a Cyclops, this othering of crafting Odysseus’ villain into a ‘monstrous’ form through the translations that have been passed down and reiterated creates fascinating debates on a central characteristic Odysseus has of being known in canon, to lie.
I genuinely could go on for hours about how glad I am to have read this incredibly erudite, passionate read that is filled with useful sources, examples and even a simple guide placed at the end on Wilson’s own personal rules of investigating released translations and a recommended reading list that filled me with joy.
Frankly, the purpose of this book and what it investigates is best summed by this quote by Wilson:
‘The idioms, connotations, syntax and assumptions of language are always entertwined with a specific set of social contexts, none of which can be replicated in translation.’

[Rachael | ☾ whimsicalfiction ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Academic shit talking is my favorite kind. In other news, add Emily to my dream bar hopping group

[Mimi Schweid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take my money NOW.
Language writes us, but we, too, have the power to change the world by changing our words.

My physical copy of this book is filled with notes. Basically, we have paragraphs/lines that I've starred, words I've underlined, and parts that just made me laugh. I can't pick a favorite essay, but the ones I'm going to be thinking about more often would consist of:
Web of Rome: How the Romans Adopted Greek Culture.
Slut-Shaming Helen of Troy.
Punishment by Radish.
Sparrows and Scrubbers.
Chill Out with the Stoics
War Music
Unwind the Thread

So, to my friends who will not only read this review but also my physical copy, enjoy my notes.

To those who are skeptical, try listening to Emily Wilson read this book. I was just in love with her cadence, and getting to hear the Greek was just such a treat.

[Edie · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know how there are some kids who are obsessed with mythology? That wasn't me. I was first introduced to fantasy and then discovered science fiction in grade school and never looked back. I was fascinated with the future, not that interested in the past. For me, this collection of essays by Emily Wilson is interesting not for the insights into mythology but for the discussion surrounding translation. I am, honestly, not that familiar with the different translations compared and contrasted here. However, I am very invested in the adjacent field of Bible translation. I found it completely engrossing to read about issues surrounding translation because they mirror the same encountered in translating Biblical texts. Rhythm, rhyme, meaning, word choice, all of it impacts the reader's experience. There is a popular tshirt in certain Bible circles which says, "All translation is interpretation." I think Emily Wilson demonstrates that in Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea. Who do I think would enjoy this book? Anyone who likes smart, academic explorations written for popular consumption. People who enjoy the current mythology retellings - from Percy Jackson to dark romantasy. And those, like me, who spend time pondering the complexities of making an old text sing in modern contexts. Thank you to everyone involved in this production for the audioARC, including Highbridge Audio and NetGalley.

[Maura B-C · Rating 5 out of 5]

actually so interesting to listen to her breakdown of various translations and translation practices

[Darwin8u · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Interesting to see Emily Wilson's take on classic Greek texts and her approach and theories of translation. Worth it just for that bit. Nothing blew me away, but it was all very good.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emily Wilson's writing is, as ever, engaging, informative, and persuasive. While I enjoyed some essays more than others (Tongue Breaks, Sparrows and Scrubbers, and Translating the Odyssey were particular favourites), this collection is well-structured and wide-ranging. Wilson always takes care to link her discussions to the problems of the modern age, allowing her to fearlessly criticise Trump, Boris Johnson, and more. She takes no prisoners in pointing out how the classics have been a means of exclusion and justification of imperialism, especially in the last century, and she finishes with an exhortation to all classicists to ultimately Do Better in making the subject accessible to everyone.

[Richard Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing is very good, but I always have a small resentment against books that are collections of essays seemingly rushed out by the publishing industry to meet a perceived commercial opportunity when the author doesn't have time to write a new full-length book before the commercial opportunity expires. As good as this book sometimes is, it's a publishing decision that could have been made by AI.

But moving past the griping, I found plenty of interesting observations on the art of translation. How do translators convey the sense of the original without straying from the original text? How do you solve the impossible challenges of translating poetry? Why do we even need new translations of 2000 year plus old books?

I have been thinking about revisiting Catullus, and she convinced me that it is a worthy thing to do. When I read Catullus in Latin in high school, I am quite sure that I must have had a Bowdlerized edition. My Latin is no longer good enough to read the original but maybe I could make out most of it in a version that has facing pages of Latin and English like the Loeb edition though she says that the original Loeb editions had weak translations and major editing of the Latin to meet the moral requirements of their era.

One of my favorite essays was the one on Stoicism, in which she explains the current vogue for Stoicism among Tech and Finance Bros and then articulates far better than I could why Stoicism works for establishment types who don't want to fight injustice but only to get comfortable in a world where injustice is rampant. Interestingly, the discussion focuses on Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, who I have always liked but now must reconsider. It's more of a challenge to make her points with those two than it would have been with Seneca, who she avoids, as Seneca was Nero's toady, a usurer and a B level philosopher. I first encountered Epictetus in reading Tom Wolfe's book "A Man In Full" where the protagonist, a shallow, busted real estate developer, discovers Epictetus as jail cell reading. Perhaps there was a level of irony there that I was missing at the time.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Try to rethink everything. Offer something different. It's OK to experiment. Turn things upside down. Reorient what's strange and what's familiar. Make room for surprises.

Genuinely did not have reading Homer on my bucket list this year, and certainly wouldn't have had this essay collection on my radar otherwise, but this was so up my alley that I have a hard time imagining a world where I wouldn't have eventually read it! Did a little mini review of each essay below, since it covers a lot of ground, but the tl;dr is that I really enjoyed myself, appreciated Wilson's breakdowns of the classics (texts, authors, techniques) and the art of translation. Of course, some essays really resonated, whereas others were so-so, as I feel is par for the course in any collection. The part of my brain that would have been used in another life if I'd gone to grad school or became a teacher was incredibly activated throughout, though, which was a huge win.

Introduction
Emily Wilson knows how to write an intro (I think about her one for the Odyssey all the time), and I think she did a great job in setting the stage for all the essays in her collection. I first started reading this book at the office, and only 3 pages in, I was lamenting my lack of a highlighter. Thankfully, I remembered I had several at my desk, and got to work.

Tongue Breaks
I am honestly iffy about the first essay in the collection, so it is probably for the best that it was the first. At least now I know about papyrology! I hear there was a disgraced papyrologist, so maybe there's an opening? (Jokes)

The Pleasures of Translation
Up until I got to the last full length essay, this one had my been my favorite of the bunch. I really appreciated this dive into translation as a form of writing in its own right, and how, like the translated texts themselves, has evolved over time.

Web of Rome: How the Romans Adopted Greek Culture
For someone who went to Greek school, I know surprisingly little about Greek history (but trust, I have never forgotten Oxi Day, one of my favorite days of the year). Maybe everyone else's Roman Empire really is the Roman Empire, but unfortunately that's just not the case for me, so I appreciated this essay. I learned so much! It's funny, I feel like we always talk about things (everyone knows the Odyssey even if you've never read it and don't really know), and I feel like Ancient Greece and Rome are kind of one of those things. We peripherally know things, but it was different to sit down and have someone go through the history and backstory of these two empires. Definitely will be thinking about Greece and Rome in an entirely new way.

The Trouble with Speeches: The Birth of Political Rhetoric in an Ancient Democracy
This one was maybe too knitty-gritty for me, and that's likely because, unlike with other essays, I don't have any familiarity with Demosthenes or his work, so it was harder to tune in.

Slut-Shaming Helen of Troy
Heck yes. Was sat for this. Even after reading Wilson's translation of The Iliad and the Odyssey, I still had plenty to learn. I hadn't equated Helen and Penelope in my mind before, so that comparison was mind blowing. Also, who knew, passive versus active verbs make a difference (it's all my English teachers, their voices are in my head, reminding me every day, even when all I'm writing are emails). Plus, the fact that Helen sounds similar to the Greek word for Greece (Hellas)? My brain was so scratched. What else can I say but Ζήτω η Ελλάδα (Ελλάς).

Punishment by Radish
Certainly intriguing! . . .

Ave, Jeeves!
. . . But this look at ancient Greek comedy was more my speed.

Sparrows and Scrubbers
Another situation where my not knowing the subject's (Catallus's) work that well meant that this one was just okay to me (although, hilariously, I did read 2 of his poems a few weeks ago when a friend sent them to me. I don't remember what we were talking about.) but I appreciated how this one gave a bit of a glimpse as to what we'd expect from the "Translating the Odyssey" essay.

Chill Out with the Stoics
This one cracked me up, but also kind of freaked me out. Didn't fully understand Stoicism until Wilson broke it down in this way. What do you mean this is what we're bringing back?

War Music
I thought Wilson's look at Logue's War Music was quite sweet, even though she doesn't pull her punches on her critiques. But I think that's part of why I thought it was sweet? She was honest with the triumphs of this translation, as well as the drawbacks. I felt like the way she described it, I could see and hear it all in my head.

Unwind the Thread
This essay had me thinking so many thoughts, but it especially made me grateful to all of my favorite English teachers and creative writing and literature professors, in a new way. I had to read a bunch of classics over the years—books by Hesiod and The Oresteia, which is the subject of this particular essay—but I just remember feeling like I was muddling through them. It's possible that, having read the Odyssey and The Iliad earlier this year has just given me a level of understanding now that I didn't have back then. However, I thought the way Wilson really broke down the Oresteia made it incredibly accessible. When I first read it in college, I had no idea what was going on! Why are there so many names? And everyone is somehow related to each other? I remember wondering what I could possibly learn from these texts. Now I realize that it's likely I was in a room with someone not experienced enough to teach them in a meaningful way. This is no shade to those previous teachers of mine—we aren't all born wise—but it was crazy to me how this set of pages explained something so well, that I had such a hard time believing that, before I read them, I didn't understand what the Oresteia was. I am still processing this one, in the sense that I think it will be the one I best remember months down the line.

Ancient Worlds: Edith Hamilton and the Popularisation of the Classics
Another favorite of mine in the collection, this look at the publication history of the classics and how we got to where we are today because of one woman was fascinating. It did crack me up that she criticized and recommended some modern day mythological retellings (Madeline Miller forever), but I respect it.

Translating the Odyssey
The Odyssey movie earlier this year is the reason I read Emily Wilson's translation of it, and The Iliad. I honestly don't know if, without the movie, I would have read Homer at all. So, with all of this fresh in my head, I found it fascinating to read this breakdown of all the options open to translators, and how Wilson chose to translate it. As probably the most "literary analysis" essay of the bunch, I have to say that it is also probably my favorite. Personally, it was a lot of fun to see Greek letters on the page! Really activated the part of my brain that still remembers how to speak some (modern) Greek! Makes me think I should get back into it.

Afterword: Twenty Rules
Emily Wilson leaves readers with her own twenty principles on translation. They were honestly excellent principles for writing in general (not just translating), but taken even further out of context, some of them seemed like great principles for life, including the one at the beginning of this review.

[kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars love her always. got an early copy and she is just the best. if you’ve read a lot of her papers, much of the book will sound familiar to you, but I think a very worthwhile read even so!!

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

For some reason the program decided that this book was by an unknown author but of course it was written by Emily Wilson as shown on the cover. Good reads doesn't enable me to edit this to credit her as the author. I have already read her translation of the Illead so these essays are a great supplement to understand her craft and her thinking behind the translations. I particularly respected her view that there are no correct versions but a spectrum of possibilities. She is often critical of some translations, but also recognises where there are cultural or social issues which underline the approaches from translators. The book is really only for those who like to lift the bonnet of the vehicle and see how it actually works, and I was enormously impressed and enjoyed her scholarship and ideas.

[Marks54 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just recently finished a trip to Italy that included visits to Pompeii and some other archeological sites. After reading Mary Beard’s recent book on Pompeii, I was notified that Emily Wilson’s new book of essays on translation had become available, so I jumped in. Wilson is the translator of a recent and acclaimed translation of Homer’s Odyssey, one that C. Nolan praised as helping him develop his movie of the Odyssey. Around that time, Wilson went on record as not liking what Nolan had done with the movie. There were further exchanges …
Wilson is the classics department chair at Penn and the essays in the volume address what the role of the translator (any translator) should be. I normally do not review books of essays since each essay can tell its own distinct story, leading to long book reviews. I will make an exception here. This book is exceptionally rich and thoughtful and Wilson provide a new perspective for me on the role of the translator.
To start with, she clearly explains how the translator is not some passive conduit for the work of the author into another language. Indeed, she argues effectively that there is no such thing as a perfect translation but rather a complex balancing on the requirements of the original and the needs of new readers and that such translations can come about in many ways. Indeed, the translator has to understand the original as well as being clear about what the resulting translated work will be - the translator has to actively work between languages while recognizing the context within which a translation is being made.
If the translator is working on a “classic”, the task becomes more complex in that the translator must understand how prior competing translations of the classic differ from each other and from what the translator is trying to accomplish. …so one not only must actively work between languages but must also place the translation story being created into the context of prior efforts if any contribution is to be made - and the translator of a classic must be making a contribution different from prior efforts or else what is the point?
Succeeding chapters address more particular topics within the realm of translation, most interestingly for me on how and why Rome came to adopt Greek culture as guidance for the development of Roman culture. Perhaps my favorite essay was on the need to stop slut-shaming Helen of Troy. I cannot begin to address all the is going on in this chapter but it is superb. Other chapters, such as on Edith Hamilton, were less engaging to me.
One of the final essays concerns the task of translating the Odyssey. Having just read Wilson’s translation and seen the movie (which strikes me as me at two different works) I found it easy to bury myself in this chapter.
Overall, if one is interested in translation (and have seen the Odyssey recently), then this will prove a useful supporting text, which I highly recommend.

[Brittany Luebbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did this as an immersive read, and I normally really REALLY enjoy when an author narrates their own book. But oh my God, every time she quoted someone, she did the goofiest-ass voice!! I genuinely could not take her seriously 😂 And I mean this with the utmost respect because she is incredibly intelligent and knowledgeable, but if I sat in her class and she started reading aloud in those voices, I would be laughing so hard I would have to excuse myself and probably never come back. I don't know how anyone is supposed to keep a straight face through those impersonations.

And I had a similar problem with the writing itself. I understand that someone this educated and knowledgeable has to make their work accessible to the lowest common denominator....well that sure wasn't me. So much of this book had me thinking, "Well, no shit." I kept waiting for it to challenge me more, and instead I, more often than not, felt like I was being walked through things I already understood.

I learned from it, not as much as I wanted, and I can absolutely appreciate how much knowledge went into it. But those voices dude...a kindergarten class may enjoy her male voice impressions more than I did...I'm sorry 😭

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christopher Nolan used Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey for his recent film, which she wasn't extremely fond of. This, her most recent book, was written before the film was released and so doesn't deal with that. Instead, she discusses her views over a wide range of topics concerning translations of literature. I came across this book by accident, but because I enjoy languages and linguistics and have taken a translation course myself (for German), I thought I'd read it. Anyone interested in ancient literature and how one tries to convey an ancient culture and "dead" language into modern, living ones should enjoy this book.

[trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels like every piece of media I’ve ever consumed culminated during my reading of this. In another life I’m bothering Dr. Wilson at office hours to pick her brain on whatever nonsense I’m into at the moment. She just has a mesmerizing and endlessly entertaining way of presenting an argument.

Favorites: Tongue Breaks, Punishment by Radish, Slut-Shaming Helen of Troy

Also loved the “Translating the Odyssey” section, which was similar to her translator’s note published with her Odyssey translation in 2017. Genuinely, I think I could read an entire book where she breaks down every section of the original text, what other translators did that she does or does not agree with, and ultimately why/how she came to her own translation decisions.

[Spiros · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging and fun collection of essays, focusing on classical literature and the challenges and problems of translation. Thought provoking, and surprisingly funny in parts. Very much makes me want read her translations of the Homeric works; at the moment, I favor Richard Lattimore's versions, and I am very happy to take Wilson's criticism on board.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whoever could’ve expected that a book of essays by a classics professor would be a tad dry?

The best part of this was when she discussed her translation of the first line of The Odyssey, and also finishing this book and finding out that Anne Carson won the Nobel Prize.

[Arina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's wonderful to read an intelligent writer who is not afraid of having an opinion. Plus, it seems to be a useful introduction to ancient literature for a layman like myself.

[Fiona · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

sometimes, when we rail against elitism in a certain subject for too long, we run the risk of becoming elitist ourselves