Odyssey (Emily Wilson translation)
First edition cover  | |
| Author | Emily Wilson | 
|---|---|
| Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company | 
Publication date  | 7 November 2017 | 
| Pages | 656 | 
| ISBN | 978-0393655063 | 
| Followed by | The Iliad | 
The Odyssey is a 2017 translation of Homer's Odyssey by American classicist Emily Wilson. It was published by W. W. Norton & Company. Wilson's translation is the first complete published translation of the Homeric Greek by a woman into English.
Wilson, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, preserved the original Homeric Greek’s line count and reflected its traditional dactylic hexameter by employing the traditional English iambic pentameter meter. Her translation uses simple syntax in modern English.
Critical reception was positive. Charlotte Higgins described it as a "cultural landmark." Reviewers praised Wilson's fresh interpretation and her representation of the poem's female characters. Many critics said Wilson's translation corrected anachronistic or euphemistic language used by other translators. The language and storytelling were commended and its meter was widely described as musical. Critics highlighted the poem's accessibility compared to previous translations.