Overview

'Brilliant ... enthralling and profoundly relevant' Salman Rushdie 'Joyful, illuminating and engaging ... required reading for anyone interested in translation' Madeline Miller How do we give old words new voices? What must a translator lose - and might she gain - when she moves between languages, bringing ancient stories to modern life? Reflecting on the inspiration, interpretation and (mis)appropriation of words from Antiquity to today, Emily Wilson invites us to explore the translator's art and mind - and gives a wholly fresh insight into the joys and quandaries of her own work. From Athenian comedy and Rome's love of Greek culture to Han Kang's novels, Cardi B's lyrics and the discoveries she made whilst translating Homer, this is a playful and fascinating voyage into the promise, possibility and constant renewal of our founding classical culture. Emily Wilson's brilliant reconsiderations of the ancient world - through the figure of Helen of Troy, the remaking of the Iliad by Christopher Logue, the use of comedy to grapple with dark matters, even slavery, and much besides - makes this an enthralling and profoundly relevant book -- Salman Rushdie I adored reading these joyful, illuminating, and engrossing journeys through ancient literature. Wilson's interest is wide-ranging, moving with elegance and insight across genres and millennia. With wit, passion, and clarity, she invites us into each of these fascinating subjects. The final essay especially is required reading for anyone interested in translation, drawing back the veil on how a brilliant scholar and writer approaches her work -- Madeline Miller, author of THE SONG OF ACHILLES Vaulting from the ancient to the modern and back again, this collection is erudite, insightful and provocative. An unparalleled insight into the work of a classicist and translator at the height of their powers -- Paul Cooper, author of FALL OF CIVILIZATIONS We're incredibly lucky to have Emily Wilson writing about the art, politics and ethics of translation and retranslation. Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea is an impressive display of Wilson's expertise, conviction and wit. Her impact within and without the world of literary translation has been huge -- Jen Calleja, author of FAIR: THE LIFE-ART OF TRANSLATION

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9781805225850

Table of Contents

Reviews

Praise for Emily Wilson: 'Wilson translates as though translation is a moral choice you owe fidelity not to the author, nor to the protagonist, but to the truth behind the words and the times. She scrapes away at old encrusted layers, until she exposes what lies beneath * Financial Times * A masterpiece of translation -- Rowan Williams Wilson's version of this nearly three millennia-old poem is so important ... combines intellectual authority with addictive readability * Daily Telegraph * Beautiful, fluent, memorable * New Statesman * A magisterial translation * Mail on Sunday *

Praise for Emily Wilson: 'Wilson translates as though translation is a moral choice - you owe fidelity not to the author, nor to the protagonist, but to the truth behind the words and the times. She scrapes away at old encrusted layers, until she exposes what lies beneath * Financial Times * A masterpiece of translation -- Rowan Williams [Wilson] opens new a new understanding of western literature's foundational text -- 'The 25 best books of the 21st century so far' * Observer * Wilson's version of this nearly three millennia-old poem is so important ... combines intellectual authority with addictive readability * Daily Telegraph * Beautiful, fluent, memorable * New Statesman * A magisterial translation * Mail on Sunday *

Praise for Emily Wilson: 'Wilson translates as though translation is a moral choice - you owe fidelity not to the author, nor to the protagonist, but to the truth behind the words and the times. She scrapes away at old encrusted layers, until she exposes what lies beneath * Financial Times * A masterpiece of translation -- Rowan Williams Wilson's version of this nearly three millennia-old poem is so important ... combines intellectual authority with addictive readability * Daily Telegraph * Beautiful, fluent, memorable * New Statesman * A magisterial translation * Mail on Sunday *

Author Information

Emily Wilson is Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Her translations of The Odyssey and The Iliad were critically acclaimed across the globe, and she is a regular contributor to the London Review of Books, the New York Times, the New Statesman and the Nation.

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