It is 26 September 2023 and Emily Wilson’s translation of Homer’s The Iliad is published today.
To whet the appetite, some of the first reviews:
- Natalie Haynes in the NYTimes
- Daniel Walden: The Bulwark
- Naoíse Mac Sweeney: The Washington Post
- A.E. Stallings: The Spectator
- Emily Greenwood: The Yale Review
No, they have not been thoroughly read, but I can say the headers and quick scans of each suggest – more than suggest – high praise, and sung in unison. Which would delight the Muses no end. Emily Wilson, herself, seemed particularly taken with The Bulwark (not known to me – looks really interesting, but mostly sub. based) piece. As she tweeted:
Wonderful Iliad review in The Bulwark. “Wilson’s deep love for and understanding of the Iliad…shine throughout this superb translation. The completion of her verse Homer amounts to nothing less than the renewal of an English poetic tradition”. https://t.co/xvN3rpIyhc
— Dr Emily Wilson (@EmilyRCWilson) September 26, 2023
Beyond the book, gossipy even (and adventurous: wouldn’t you like an assignment that takes you to Ithaca? And not that one in the Empire State), is Judith Thurman’s piece for The New Yorker “How Emily Wilson Made Homer Modern”. An entertaining read, though the “modern” of the title, if one is to understand correctly Wilson’s comments in the above thread where she makes a point of voicing her displeasure at a simple reception with the claim of “modernizing Homer”, is probably misplaced. Also, Charlotte Higgins’ piece in The Guardian a couple of weeks ago writes of the the technical choices Wilson contended with in her translation of the Iliad that culminated in today’s publication.
And at Lit Hub, Emily Wilson in conversation with her friend, Madeline Miller, reveals further insights into her methodology as a translator, the psychological depth of Homer’s poetry and into her character interpretations – also a great read:
And, finally, a diary entry unto myself: BBC Radio 4 Start the Week on Monday, 2 October – “The Iliad and the right to rule”. Adam Rutherford and his guests EMILY WILSON, Mary Beard and Ben Riley-Smith “explore the battle for power and the right to rule”.
I look forward so much to reading, reflecting upon, living with, this Iliad just as I did a couple of years ago with the Odyssey ‘according to Emily Wilson’ so to speak – a year long project that gave me great personal pleasure. But, first, I must get the book! And that seems easier said than done at the moment – in Germany at least!* But it does mean I can mull over a good (and doable) reading (and writing) schedule without undue haste. Until then.
*Reluctantly in the end I accepted Amazon delivery out of the US in a couple of weeks.