Emily Wilson’s recent translation of Homer’s The Odyssey signals a new stage in the journey of Ancient Greece’s most important hero. This new edition, available at YPRL, invites readers to experience The Odyssey from a fresh perspective.
In 2018, Emily Wilson became the first woman to translate the epic poem into English. Her translation departs from previous versions through her use of crisp and rhythmic language, whereas previous versions are seen as verbose to many readers.
This represents a huge problem for modern readers. As Wilson writes in her extensive introduction, "children throughout history first learn about Ancient Greece through some of the stories in The Odyssey, and that this education continues through adolescence into college." The point being that Homer’s poetry was intended to be read and understood by people of all ages and backgrounds.
This is why this newest translation is so important. The clarity of the language gives new life to Odysseus’ legendary journey. We feel as though we are reading the story for the first time, and this is not a coincidence.
Wilson makes an interesting point about the history of the poem. As is commonly said of Homer, the poet was blind and illiterate, so he could not have written the poem down. However, In Ancient Greece, there were many poets who spoke and performed great stories in public from memory. Given the Odyssey has over 12,000 lines, this feat of memory seems almost impossible today. It may be, however, that despite blindness and illiteracy, Homer had a remarkable memory for stories told before his lifetime. His job was to keep on telling them.
People relied on the gifted memory and performance of the poets, until eventually, Greek scribes wrote down poems. Maybe this was done under the supervision of Homer, allowing the stories of The Odyssey to survive for the Greeks.
Today, the poem traverses’ languages, borders, and time. As Wilson says in her introduction to her new translation, "Poetry is the art of memory, the mother of the muses." By writing down the poem, the act of remembering is repeated throughout history, up until today and beyond. Thanks to this excellent new translation from Wilson, along with an enlightening introduction, we can once again journey into one of the greatest stories ever told.
Engaging with poetry strengthens our memory and enhances our experience of the present moment. It allows us to have a personal, private experience with the poem and our memories, and find harmony in them through our reading. Reading the great poems, for us and the Ancient Greeks, grants the remembrance of a time before we were born. And with this newest translation from Emily Wilson, this epic poem also has been reborn.
Emily Wilson’s translation of The Iliad is also available from YPRL, along with a wide range of Ancient History books. A hardback edition of The Odyssey is also available, along with an e-book edition (translation by Alexander Pope).
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