During the UK leg of her book tour at the end of last year, Emily Wilson accepted the London Review of Books invitation to present her Iliad translation. And they found a wonderful discussion partner for her in Edith Hall. And complimented by a thespian pair conjured from amongst the embarrassment of riches which is the theatrical talent of a nation – Juliet Stevenson and Tobias Menzies. Stellar, I say! Such an evening could only happen in London.
Tag: The Iliad
The Iliad by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson review – a bravura feat | Homer | The Guardian
Six years on from her translation of the Odyssey, Wilson revels in the clarity and emotional clout of Homer’s battlefield epic
— Read on www.theguardian.com/books/2023/sep/27/the-iliad-by-homer-translated-by-emily-wilson-review-a-bravura-feat
There are sure to be many in the next days, weeks, so as I come across new reviews I’ll directly post them (if possible) – and comment later if I think necessary . This from Edith Hall, who hardly needs an introduction – but here’s one anyway.
What to read this autumn: 2023’s biggest new books | Books | The Guardian
Sara Pascoe’s new novel, rare Terry Pratchett, memoirs from Barbra Streisand and Britney Spears, plus the essential reading on today’s hot button topics – all the releases to look out for
— Read on www.theguardian.com/books/2023/aug/26/what-to-read-this-autumn-2023s-biggest-new-books
Autumn is it absolutely not in the south of Germany! The warmest of sunshine, leaves barely tinged and little change in sight. But nevertheless it is a good time to start planning for days indoor. For this “The Guardian” has some good suggestions. Not necessarily those mentioned above in their pulled quote, though by Streisand I could be tempted. Of the others, some expected and therefore of no surprise: Zadie Smith, Mary Beard, Emily Wilson. And one who I will be particularly thrilled to read again after all her travails in the last few years: Jesmyn Ward – for this I have been waiting.
According to Emily Wilson
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.
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.
‘The Iliad may be ancient – but it’s not far away’: Emily Wilson on Homer’s blood-soaked epic | Classics | The Guardian
Following her acclaimed translation of the Odyssey, Wilson has turned to Homer’s other, darker poem. She explains how she got stuck for six months – and why it speaks to today’s era of conflict
— Read on www.theguardian.com/books/2023/sep/09/the-iliad-may-be-ancient-but-its-not-far-away-emily-wilson-on-homers-blood-soaked-epic
One poet many voices
In English alone there are about 100 translations of Homer’s Iliad; to which we may add Emily Wilson’s new translation (to be published in September presumably). Her excellent comparative essay in The New York Times shows the range of interpretive possibilities of Homer’s epic poem through the ages – from the original to George Chapman in 1611 through to the contemporary culminating with that of her own (a sneak preview if you will!), in various metrical forms and not, rhyming and not – and exemplified in the memorable scene when Hector bids farewell to Andromache and his baby son (book 6. 482-497).
Wilson shares her translation of this passage. Again, as she did with Ulysses, she uses the iambic pentameter of Shakespeare and Milton, and her vocabulary choices and turn of phrase in this small sample already recall to me very much that work. And reminds me how very much I have been looking forward to her Iliad.
Wilson’s “Iliad” translation – next year.
August 13 2023: Here embedded was a tweet (from 2022) announcing Emily Wilson’s translation of Homer’s The Iliad for 2023; now defunct. No matter; the translation is on its way – on our bookshelves in the next weeks as I write. Nor, by the way, can I any longer get to the May 30 thread which inspired me to the musings below. Rather than deleting my post, I offer Wilson’s thread from about the same time on the nuances required – and the compromises that sometimes have to be made – in Homeric translation.
“A classic translator’s dilemma, … One language makes a distinction where another makes none.”
Should one dare to flitter into the Twitter-sphere (which I do these days but sparingly!), Wilson’s May 30 2022 thread cleverly teases out how very much Homer’s epic tale evidences the absurd constancy of the human condition – for better or worse, in good times and bad – through the span of our existence. Fear not – Dr. Wilson is not on the brink! Of myself I am not so sure…
Don’t tell me about dead heroes, dead languages, dead civilizations, enlightenments and awakenings, beginnings and ends of history … ! On whim and with change of garb and scenery we play what we deem our original role; every night an opening night, an acting out of our own perceived exceptionalism.
The truth written in memory is another: Like the river from its source, we flow onward, snugly fitted in the bed made for us; accumulating and losing sediment along the way, wasting nothing more than we want, but remaining essentially the same. We are our ancestors’ heirs; a mere appropriation over time of ourselves, intent on satisfying ourselves for life’s moments; at once brief and eternal.