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Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys through ancient literature
'Brilliant ... enthralling and profoundly relevant' Salman Rushdie
'Joyful, illuminating and engaging ... required reading for anyone interested in translation' Madeline Miller
How do we give old words new voices? What must a translator lose - and might she gain - when she moves between languages, bringing ancient stories to modern life?
Reflecting on the inspiration, interpretation and (mis)appropriation of words from Antiquity to today, Emily Wilson invites us to explore the translator's art and mind - and gives a wholly fresh insight into the joys and quandaries of her own work. From Athenian comedy and Rome's love of Greek culture to Han Kang's novels, Cardi B's lyrics and the discoveries she made whilst translating Homer, this is a playful and fascinating voyage into the promise, possibility and constant renewal of our founding classical culture.
'Joyful, illuminating and engaging ... required reading for anyone interested in translation' Madeline Miller
How do we give old words new voices? What must a translator lose - and might she gain - when she moves between languages, bringing ancient stories to modern life?
Reflecting on the inspiration, interpretation and (mis)appropriation of words from Antiquity to today, Emily Wilson invites us to explore the translator's art and mind - and gives a wholly fresh insight into the joys and quandaries of her own work. From Athenian comedy and Rome's love of Greek culture to Han Kang's novels, Cardi B's lyrics and the discoveries she made whilst translating Homer, this is a playful and fascinating voyage into the promise, possibility and constant renewal of our founding classical culture.
Paperback
First published June 4, 2026
About the author
Emily Wilson
71 books1,573 followersEmily 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
June 20, 2026
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.
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.
Want to Read
May 22, 2026Not me waiting for ages to get a physical copy of an Emily Wilson, but managing to get my hands on an ARC before that.🤷🏻♀️
August 3, 2026
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.
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.
May 30, 2026
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.’
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.’
August 1, 2026
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.
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.
Want to Read
July 29, 2026Take my money NOW.
July 22, 2026
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.
June 27, 2026
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!!
June 15, 2026
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.
July 4, 2026
Wilson does a delightful job describing all of the work and pitfalls that occur when translating Ancient works into modern language.
Read
June 27, 2026I need to digest this a bit
Review of advance copy
I bought this book in June.. I am not sure why it says it isn’t published yet… it is published… I bought it. Maybe it isn’t published in the US yet?
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, but then I lost my initial enthusiasm. I did enjoy ‘sparrows and scrubbers’ and sections of other essays tho. The parts about translation were really interesting and helpful.
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 two stars 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 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 didn’t enjoy. Ok Edith Hamilton might not be a perfect example of how to ‘accurately’ tell ancient stories, 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 says 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!
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 is true, 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 etc. It was those books by Fry etc that initially peaked my curiosity.
Like many who came to classics like me, we are not so stupid that we don’t recognise the ‘simplified, domesticated and outdated nature’ of some books but we have to start somewhere and those very popular writers have done incredible jobs in reeling in those, like me, 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).
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 within introductions of books like Wilson’s own and others. I just wish some of those academic books were a little cheaper, even second hand they can be very expensive. I mean well into the hundred pound and above mark.
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..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 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.
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, but then I lost my initial enthusiasm. I did enjoy ‘sparrows and scrubbers’ and sections of other essays tho. The parts about translation were really interesting and helpful.
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 two stars 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 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 didn’t enjoy. Ok Edith Hamilton might not be a perfect example of how to ‘accurately’ tell ancient stories, 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 says 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!
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 is true, 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 etc. It was those books by Fry etc that initially peaked my curiosity.
Like many who came to classics like me, we are not so stupid that we don’t recognise the ‘simplified, domesticated and outdated nature’ of some books but we have to start somewhere and those very popular writers have done incredible jobs in reeling in those, like me, 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).
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 within introductions of books like Wilson’s own and others. I just wish some of those academic books were a little cheaper, even second hand they can be very expensive. I mean well into the hundred pound and above mark.
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..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 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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Netgalley and Norton for the eARC.
Wilson follows three veins in this collection of essays: how/why Greek literature has retained a distinguished cultural presence up to the current moment, the reverse question of how/why current day social or political crises reach back to the Greek canon in search of legitimacy, and then, the path of Big Translation itself. These veins converge often and the author does not waste time sneaking her way into that; she writes intelligently, pithily, and at times pettily.
The essays in question recognize and critique power, interrogating how words (in translations of our 'fundamental' texts across time) both reflect and create status quos. In words lie our assumptions about XYZ's role in society; sometimes they are even responsible for constructing society. Sometimes the meanings of words change to reflect the ever-shifting boundaries of power, but rarely do they leave those boundaries. This very text, which aligns the Greek and Roman normalization of slavery and misogyny, with the softening of those concepts in translation, with parallels to anti-immigrant anti-feminist fascist leaders such as Trump, Johnson, etc., makes sure to balance that with a finger-wag at the leftist youth who in their challenging of institutions are also somehow guilty of the same perversion of rhetoric. And in general these essays are all written from the perspective of the American liberal, who is comfortable critiquing the backwards and backwards-facing elements of society, but struggles to put together a vision of the habitable future.
I appreciated the history lessons this book offered. I found the tone engaging and entertaining, unafraid to make claims about what constitutes good or bad taste. I didn't always find those claims cohesive with each other (there were multiple pages where two consecutive paragraphs clashed) but rules attempting to govern taste and/or equity do tend to war with themselves. Less did I appreciate where clever sentences were used to obscure half-baked critiques. It's fine to not like something for the sake of it, for reasons that would be considered snobbish, even hypocritical - the author rightfully does not justify when they like a loose, derivative translation for whatever redemptive quality it does have - but as a reader I hate when a text insists on being clever about it instead of stating it's opinion outright.
Within the history of translation (of the Odyssey/Iliad/Aeneid), Wilson is generous with the citations, which provides several opportunities for further reading. All in all I enjoyed this collection. Christopher Logue's War Music here I come!
Wilson follows three veins in this collection of essays: how/why Greek literature has retained a distinguished cultural presence up to the current moment, the reverse question of how/why current day social or political crises reach back to the Greek canon in search of legitimacy, and then, the path of Big Translation itself. These veins converge often and the author does not waste time sneaking her way into that; she writes intelligently, pithily, and at times pettily.
The essays in question recognize and critique power, interrogating how words (in translations of our 'fundamental' texts across time) both reflect and create status quos. In words lie our assumptions about XYZ's role in society; sometimes they are even responsible for constructing society. Sometimes the meanings of words change to reflect the ever-shifting boundaries of power, but rarely do they leave those boundaries. This very text, which aligns the Greek and Roman normalization of slavery and misogyny, with the softening of those concepts in translation, with parallels to anti-immigrant anti-feminist fascist leaders such as Trump, Johnson, etc., makes sure to balance that with a finger-wag at the leftist youth who in their challenging of institutions are also somehow guilty of the same perversion of rhetoric. And in general these essays are all written from the perspective of the American liberal, who is comfortable critiquing the backwards and backwards-facing elements of society, but struggles to put together a vision of the habitable future.
I appreciated the history lessons this book offered. I found the tone engaging and entertaining, unafraid to make claims about what constitutes good or bad taste. I didn't always find those claims cohesive with each other (there were multiple pages where two consecutive paragraphs clashed) but rules attempting to govern taste and/or equity do tend to war with themselves. Less did I appreciate where clever sentences were used to obscure half-baked critiques. It's fine to not like something for the sake of it, for reasons that would be considered snobbish, even hypocritical - the author rightfully does not justify when they like a loose, derivative translation for whatever redemptive quality it does have - but as a reader I hate when a text insists on being clever about it instead of stating it's opinion outright.
Within the history of translation (of the Odyssey/Iliad/Aeneid), Wilson is generous with the citations, which provides several opportunities for further reading. All in all I enjoyed this collection. Christopher Logue's War Music here I come!
Review of advance copy
Crossing The Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature by Emily Wilson
☀️☀️☀️⛅
In this series of essays, scholar and translator Emily Wilson examines several aspects of Greek and Roman mythology through the lens of translation.
Wilson, recognised as the first woman to complete full published translations of The Odyssey and The Iliad, serves up interesting and thought-provoking perspectives on everything from the unique historical importance of the Greek to Roman literary movement, deep dives into specific figures like Sappho and Helen of Troy, as well as her takes on particular translations covering comedy, tragedy and verse from the history books.
Her references are far-reaching (including Cardi B, Boris Johnson, and Spike Lee) and enable a less than obsessed reader to connect dots that might otherwise be difficult to comprehend. Though this helps, some of the essays felt a bit long and dry for me, though perhaps that's because I occasionally struggled to perceive the 'point' of some essays until the end. Many were fascinating and insightful though, and none more so than the final piece looking at translations of Homer over the years and how they vary. It is remarkable to be shown the bias that inherently exists in translation, and how the smallest of changes can impact the whole piece.
For causal fans of Greek or Roman mythology this might skew too academic in nature, but Wilson's knowledge base and passion for the history cannot be ignored.
"Language is never a neutral tool by which we represent the world: every word and phrase carries with it a tangle of cultural assumptions and connotations, many of which are not paralleled by other languages - especially languages from many centuries ago. Form is not entirely distinct from meaning, and aesthetics are always entangled with values."
"There are many sizes of infinity. There are an infinite number of ways to get a translation wrong. There are fewer ways to get it right - but the possibilities are still infinite."
☀️☀️☀️⛅
In this series of essays, scholar and translator Emily Wilson examines several aspects of Greek and Roman mythology through the lens of translation.
Wilson, recognised as the first woman to complete full published translations of The Odyssey and The Iliad, serves up interesting and thought-provoking perspectives on everything from the unique historical importance of the Greek to Roman literary movement, deep dives into specific figures like Sappho and Helen of Troy, as well as her takes on particular translations covering comedy, tragedy and verse from the history books.
Her references are far-reaching (including Cardi B, Boris Johnson, and Spike Lee) and enable a less than obsessed reader to connect dots that might otherwise be difficult to comprehend. Though this helps, some of the essays felt a bit long and dry for me, though perhaps that's because I occasionally struggled to perceive the 'point' of some essays until the end. Many were fascinating and insightful though, and none more so than the final piece looking at translations of Homer over the years and how they vary. It is remarkable to be shown the bias that inherently exists in translation, and how the smallest of changes can impact the whole piece.
For causal fans of Greek or Roman mythology this might skew too academic in nature, but Wilson's knowledge base and passion for the history cannot be ignored.
"Language is never a neutral tool by which we represent the world: every word and phrase carries with it a tangle of cultural assumptions and connotations, many of which are not paralleled by other languages - especially languages from many centuries ago. Form is not entirely distinct from meaning, and aesthetics are always entangled with values."
"There are many sizes of infinity. There are an infinite number of ways to get a translation wrong. There are fewer ways to get it right - but the possibilities are still infinite."
July 19, 2026
“The dead are dead, and yet some of their words remain. In reading the few scraps of literature that survive from the ancient past, and in considering the words chosen to translate and retranslate them for each new generation of readers, we see how language shapes and is shaped by shifting human cultures and human choices. The juxtaposition of ancient and modern languages, literatures and lives reminds us that it is through our words that we are remembered and understood, long after our deaths, and that even the most minute differences of language or phrasing may make all the difference. Language writes us, but we, too, have the power to change the world by changing our words.” In Emily Wilson’s Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea, the classicist and translator turns her attention towards craft and classics, and much more besides, in a series of engaging and perceptive essays. I read this book between seeing Simon Stone’s new adaptation of The Oresteia on stage the other night, and preparing to see Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey today; it’s a timely read in my personal life but also in the zeitgeist, with so many online debating Nolan’s script for The Odyssey (a task they saw fit to undertake from a trailer, based largely as far as I can tell on the apparently unforgivable use of the word… dad). Wilson’s essays are instructive for this and so many conversations recently about adaptation, myth and history, and so on: she is incisive when it comes to gatekeeping the classics (“most often performed by those who are not classicists”), and on the virtues of keeping (re)translation alive today. I especially enjoyed ‘The Pleasures of Translation’, opening as it does on my beloved Han Kang and her first English translator Deborah Smith, the W.A.P. analysis in ‘Punishment by Radish’, and her look at ‘The Oresteia’ in ‘Unwind the Thread’. The long essay on translating The Odyssey was also fascinating, and made me appreciate some elements of her translation even more (and some even less — and I know she’d deride me for that but oh well!).
Review of advance copy
A somewhat mean guess as to why this book exists is because Wilson wrote that Odysseus was a “complicated” man, causing an ever-recurring ouroboros braindead discourse online. Wilson is right that the majority of opinions tend to be inexpert ones, which I guess is also in line with her other essays where she gets snippy about non-experts opining on languages/history or even writing books on them. There’s even a side eye towards experts in narrow areas speaking more widely – I guess Mary Beard didn’t take being personally named as she is also in the acknowledgements.
Another indicator that this wasn’t particularly deeply planned is the title. “wine-dark” is a reference to how the ancient Greeks perceived and wrote about colour – so the title is a nice reference to the complications of translation – if you know about it beforehand. I cannot find any reference to this point in any of the essays – prior knowledge is assumed, which calls into question the target audience for these essays, i.e. is Wilson even bothering to appeal to the neophytes?
I do think this book does make a lot (and I do mean a lot) of good points about translation and provides a firm justification for Wilson’s approach to translation beyond imaginary “wokeness”. Her analysis of earlier translators is a particularly appealing part of the book. Other essays on Stoicism, the portrayal of women, and the development of comedy over time are also insightful.
It’s one of those books where I did feel like a bit of whinge about how it’s set up to deal with a particular criticism, but actually do like and learn from, in terms of never having certainty that the words one reads are the words one meant (or even if the original meaning could every be determined). You will find yourself taking longer than the page count suggests.
Another indicator that this wasn’t particularly deeply planned is the title. “wine-dark” is a reference to how the ancient Greeks perceived and wrote about colour – so the title is a nice reference to the complications of translation – if you know about it beforehand. I cannot find any reference to this point in any of the essays – prior knowledge is assumed, which calls into question the target audience for these essays, i.e. is Wilson even bothering to appeal to the neophytes?
I do think this book does make a lot (and I do mean a lot) of good points about translation and provides a firm justification for Wilson’s approach to translation beyond imaginary “wokeness”. Her analysis of earlier translators is a particularly appealing part of the book. Other essays on Stoicism, the portrayal of women, and the development of comedy over time are also insightful.
It’s one of those books where I did feel like a bit of whinge about how it’s set up to deal with a particular criticism, but actually do like and learn from, in terms of never having certainty that the words one reads are the words one meant (or even if the original meaning could every be determined). You will find yourself taking longer than the page count suggests.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I was given this book for free as an e-ARC through NetGalley. The following is my honest review of it:
I was not familiar with Emily Wilson before this work was published. Of Greece and Rome (and indeed antiquity in general), my main interest came as a child with interest in ancient mythology --- yes, I read Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, as well as many other, often illustrated mythology books. I'm also quite a fan of poetry, art, and even landscapes/gardens, where allusions to myths are quite prevalent and essential to understanding the works!
I had a great many thoughts while reading this and didn't manage to write them all down! I'd never read a text that went so deeply into specific choices with translations before this one, and I thought it was quite a treat. For one, it was quite interesting to see how different translations can fundamentally change the meaning of the text. Next, because as an aspiring author myself, it's very helpful to see such thought and consideration put into word choice and all the implications of it!
My favorite parts of this book were:
- the discussion of ancient Greek and Roman comedy, both in the translation and in the social context of the anxieties in the relationship between slave and master and father and son and men and women which are addressed by it
- the discussion on Stoicism and how it doesn't help when it comes to interactions with other people; this was particularly interesting to me in how Stoicism is seen as much more of an option for men (particularly rich men), rather than women
- conceptions of women as particularly lusty just because they are desired by many men
- how it's difficult to know exactly how the audience is meant to react to rapes done by heroes in stories (as well as violence enacted toward slaves)
I was not familiar with Emily Wilson before this work was published. Of Greece and Rome (and indeed antiquity in general), my main interest came as a child with interest in ancient mythology --- yes, I read Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, as well as many other, often illustrated mythology books. I'm also quite a fan of poetry, art, and even landscapes/gardens, where allusions to myths are quite prevalent and essential to understanding the works!
I had a great many thoughts while reading this and didn't manage to write them all down! I'd never read a text that went so deeply into specific choices with translations before this one, and I thought it was quite a treat. For one, it was quite interesting to see how different translations can fundamentally change the meaning of the text. Next, because as an aspiring author myself, it's very helpful to see such thought and consideration put into word choice and all the implications of it!
My favorite parts of this book were:
- the discussion of ancient Greek and Roman comedy, both in the translation and in the social context of the anxieties in the relationship between slave and master and father and son and men and women which are addressed by it
- the discussion on Stoicism and how it doesn't help when it comes to interactions with other people; this was particularly interesting to me in how Stoicism is seen as much more of an option for men (particularly rich men), rather than women
- conceptions of women as particularly lusty just because they are desired by many men
- how it's difficult to know exactly how the audience is meant to react to rapes done by heroes in stories (as well as violence enacted toward slaves)
August 1, 2026
(3.75 ish?) Interesting little book with lots to chew on; if I were to be slightly cynical I might say I suspect that it was a teeny bit rushed out in the UK by Profile in order to coincide properly with the release of Nolan's Odyssey; it has a few editorial mistakes (odd spaces, referring to the Song of Achilles as a 'novella' when, although it's not a long novel, it is a novel). But hey, it worked, it's already sold a load of copies.
Slightly misleading IMO in the blurb's implication that it's all/mostly about translation; only the back half is really about translating classical texts. It's really a combination of Wilson's reviews, essays, and thoughts on ancient literature, often about translation but not always. I found a few of the chapters to be really just more talking about the texts than necessarily offering new perspectives or takes on them, but it was always engaging and enjoyable, and often amusing. Sold me entirely on Logue's War Music, I'll be trying that. Amusingly generous towards a lot of the retellings people love to hate on (although historian Tom Holland and Rick Riordan both get a few barbs thrown at them and Natalie Haynes just about gets away with it.) Particularly liked the impetus that translators and classicists and people trying to sell the ancient world to the reading public need above all to be able to *write*. I'm always saying this. I don't think it was totally mind-blowing and didn't all entirely cohere as a collection, but on the whole fully enjoyable and accessible.
Slightly misleading IMO in the blurb's implication that it's all/mostly about translation; only the back half is really about translating classical texts. It's really a combination of Wilson's reviews, essays, and thoughts on ancient literature, often about translation but not always. I found a few of the chapters to be really just more talking about the texts than necessarily offering new perspectives or takes on them, but it was always engaging and enjoyable, and often amusing. Sold me entirely on Logue's War Music, I'll be trying that. Amusingly generous towards a lot of the retellings people love to hate on (although historian Tom Holland and Rick Riordan both get a few barbs thrown at them and Natalie Haynes just about gets away with it.) Particularly liked the impetus that translators and classicists and people trying to sell the ancient world to the reading public need above all to be able to *write*. I'm always saying this. I don't think it was totally mind-blowing and didn't all entirely cohere as a collection, but on the whole fully enjoyable and accessible.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
If you’re ready to chart waters both fiercely ancient and breathtakingly new, then this is absolutely the book. Emily Wilson for me is one of the greats, and this is a fascinating look at the enduring magic of literature across the Ancient landscape. From the lasting, ever changing legacy of Helen of Troy and epic poetry to translation as conquest for the Romans. After all the Romans did 'borrow' from their Greek counterparts ⛵️🏺
There is no single, definitive shore to be reached but each new translation of classics across time is a unique voyage. Wilson draws unexpected, illuminating lines that connect antiquity directly to the modern cultural landscape. It is so so interesting 🏛️
There are so many thoughts and feelings to excavate from this brilliant work. Antiquity is still a living conversation. A translator must choose which facets of an ancient text to bring into the light. Translation has always been a messy, creative and highly political act of transformation ✨
There is no single, definitive shore to be reached but each new translation of classics across time is a unique voyage. Wilson draws unexpected, illuminating lines that connect antiquity directly to the modern cultural landscape. It is so so interesting 🏛️
There are so many thoughts and feelings to excavate from this brilliant work. Antiquity is still a living conversation. A translator must choose which facets of an ancient text to bring into the light. Translation has always been a messy, creative and highly political act of transformation ✨
August 4, 2026
I really enjoyed this! I’m probably not the target audience but I learned lots I didn’t know and felt nice to connect with things I’m more familiar with. Books like this are never quite what I expect, and I thought this would be more on translation and reception specifically, but all interesting. Really enjoyed her analysis of translations of the Odyssey and wish I’d been able to read that specifically, along with her guides for translation, when I was an undergrad! That chapter contained the Greek alongside English, which does make me think this book is pitched at a mixed audience, but also fun to realise I can still read it :)
She doesn’t hold back on her opinions and makes it clear if she dislikes someone haha.
She doesn’t hold back on her opinions and makes it clear if she dislikes someone haha.
August 1, 2026
After watching the Odyssey I was desperate for more Greek mythology in my life, and I thought this book seemed really interesting. Most of the essays were really great; I especially liked the essays about the challenges of translation, and the examples of how different translators interpreted the same lines. (The second last essay, also the longest, was particularly fascinating - I would have loved more of the book to have been like that.) However, it was a mixed bag, and I must admit that I found a couple of the essays a bit dull. Would definitely recommend for those who have an interest in classics or language/translation.
July 18, 2026
At its best, Wilson really conveys the challenge and beauty of translation. I enjoyed the chapters on Sappho, Catullus, and Aeschylus the most - partly because I love their poetry and plays, and have read them both in various translations and in their original Greek or Latin. I also thought Wilson’s exploration of translation was more detailed in these chapters, whereas other chapters (such as the one on the Stoicism) felt more like summaries of the works themselves. The final chapter on translation and the Odyssey was incredibly interesting
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I found this book to be fascinating if not a little dry. This a collection of essay Wilson has written regarding the process and experience and history of translating classic works. It does require a level of background knowledge to truly grasp. It's not an introductory text. As said above it is a little dry so I recommend it for people who are deeply interested in the topic but it's definitely not a general read.
July 14, 2026
This book wasn’t at all what I expected it to be (except for the final chapter) but was somehow even better. The essays use ancient literature as a touchstone to explore contemporary ideas and the knotty realities of translation, and each of them was interesting, illuminating, and great fun to read. The final chapter - a discussion on translation choices faced by the author in her own translation of the Odyssey - was absolutely fascinating. Well worth a read.
Review of advance copy
4.25⭐️
I have to say I thought I would enjoy this more, but I did find it really interesting reading about the process of translation, as it’s something I’ve always had respect for and appreciated its importance. Overall, it was good to be able to hear from Wilson directly about how she felt about things - given that she’s a translator, we don’t get that in any other way
I have to say I thought I would enjoy this more, but I did find it really interesting reading about the process of translation, as it’s something I’ve always had respect for and appreciated its importance. Overall, it was good to be able to hear from Wilson directly about how she felt about things - given that she’s a translator, we don’t get that in any other way
Review of advance copy
The last paragraph ruined the whole book.
The author spends the book effectively arguing that translation matters, that it has influenced western society which influences the world today. She has spent part of each chapter linking the subject to modern events. She has defied the critics who have argued that ancient literature doesn’t matter and the classics are a dead subject.
And then the very last paragraph basically says that everyone will have more important things to worry about in the future.
So why write this book? Why waste my time and money on it when the author thinks it’s a dead end? It reduces everything in the book to a cynical money making exercise because why else would the author waste her time writing it.
(I bought this book (published in the UK already, so not an advanced copy))
Additionally, as other reviewers have said, I disliked the snootiness where the author takes shots at people in the public eye who take on the subject of Greek and Roman literature and make it accessible to the general public (Mary Beard, Natalie Haynes, Bettany Hughes, Stephen Fry). The author disparages gatekeeping, and then gatekeeps.
2 stars as some of the book is good ( the Sappo chapter for example) but a lot of the book strays from the subject and undermines itself.
The author spends the book effectively arguing that translation matters, that it has influenced western society which influences the world today. She has spent part of each chapter linking the subject to modern events. She has defied the critics who have argued that ancient literature doesn’t matter and the classics are a dead subject.
And then the very last paragraph basically says that everyone will have more important things to worry about in the future.
So why write this book? Why waste my time and money on it when the author thinks it’s a dead end? It reduces everything in the book to a cynical money making exercise because why else would the author waste her time writing it.
(I bought this book (published in the UK already, so not an advanced copy))
Additionally, as other reviewers have said, I disliked the snootiness where the author takes shots at people in the public eye who take on the subject of Greek and Roman literature and make it accessible to the general public (Mary Beard, Natalie Haynes, Bettany Hughes, Stephen Fry). The author disparages gatekeeping, and then gatekeeps.
2 stars as some of the book is good ( the Sappo chapter for example) but a lot of the book strays from the subject and undermines itself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy
This is a fascinating, beautifully written book about the complexity of translating ancient literature. Admittedly, a lot went over my head, but that didn't stop me from boring the family with (many) interesting tidbits
Review of advance copy
Great collection of essays for anyone interested in translation or in classical literature. The final essay in particular comparing specific line translations from the Odyssey is especially enlightening.
August 4, 2026
Best thing read this year. I hadn't touched the Greek and Roman classics for while but this reminded me why they are so relevant. Excellent observations on translation as well. I will undoubtedly reread parts of this many times.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
An entertaining read about the ancient Roman and Greek figures and their influence on literature.
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