Emily Wilson on Translation Choices and Gender in Classics

Classicist Emily Wilson's translation of Homer's Odyssey in 2017 made her the first woman to publish a complete English version of the epic. In a new interview with Leanne Ogasawara for LitHub, Wilson discusses her translation philosophy and the upcoming release of her essay collection, Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature, which will be published in the US this September by Liveright.

The 'Complicated' Choice

Wilson's opening line, "Tell me about a complicated man," has been intensely debated since her Odyssey translation appeared. She explained that the Greek word polytropos can mean versatility, cunning, wandering, and being turned about by circumstance. She chose "complicated" after days of consideration, a decision she still stands by nearly a decade later.

Her primary goals were to echo the original's traditional meter and its design for oral performance, unlike most modern translators who use prose or free verse. "I needed a word that could scan, when followed by the stressed syllable of 'man,'" Wilson said. She also aimed to recreate the rapid pacing of Homer's poem, avoiding a long multi-word phrase that would slow the narrative at its start.

"Like every translation choice, 'complicated' is a compromise," Wilson stated. "It isn't identical in denotation, connotation, register or sound to the original-and nor are any of the other ways translators have dealt with polytropos." She compared the choice to democracy, calling it "the worst option, except for all the others."

Gender and the Translator's Role

When her translation was published, media coverage heavily focused on Wilson being the first woman to complete an English Odyssey. She shared Ogasawara's surprise at this framing, noting she hadn't even been aware of that fact when she began the project. "I don't think my actual work as a translator... Has anything to do with my gender as such," Wilson said. Her goals were centered on poetic form, pacing, and narrative perspective.

Yet, the label of "the woman translator" has persisted. "It's become my standard traditional epithet," she remarked, drawing a parallel to Homeric epithets. Wilson pointed out a strange imbalance: published English translations of major Greek and Roman works have predominantly been by men, despite many women earning PhDs in classics. This contrasts with fields like classical Japanese translation, where women are well-represented, except for The Tale of Genji.

She speculated that reasons might include language training, the marginalization of translation in Anglophone academia, and professional networks. "Perhaps there are gaps for whom editors or publishers think of as potential translators," Wilson said, but added this was pure speculation.

Broadening the Conversation

Wilson expressed a desire for a wider discussion about who translates the canon, noting classicist Jackie Murray has written about the need for more BIPOC translators of Greek and Latin classics. Regarding the media's focus on her gender, she suggested journalists often follow a pack mentality. After initial headlines framed her work around being a woman who used the word "complicated," dozens of subsequent pieces repeated the same angle.

"To me, this was not a particularly good framing," Wilson explained, "in that it entirely ignores my actual interpretative and poetic goals and work in favor of a factoid about the field." She also felt it sidelined the work of many other female classicists and translators. Despite this, she is glad the coverage prompted greater public awareness of translation and Homer.

Over the past decade, Wilson said she has been moved by how many people, especially young people, see her as an inspiration. "I feel very touched and honored by that, and I recognize that it's a great responsibility," she told LitHub. The interview concludes with Wilson's thoughts on celebrating the strangeness of ancient texts while making them intelligible, a central theme of her forthcoming essay collection.