Emily Wilson’s Pan of ‘The Odyssey’ Ignites a Debate Among Classicists and Commenters

Emily Wilson, whose 2017 translation of Homer’s Greek classic influenced the director Christopher Nolan, panned his screenplay for the movie version in an essay for The London Review of Books.

The novelist suggested Wilson should have been ‘a wee bit more thoughtful and respectful’ towards a film-maker who may have helped boost her book sales The off-screen drama surrounding Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster version of the Odyssey stepped up a gear overnight, as the novelist Joyce Carol Oates sought to defend

Emily Wilson, Joyce Carol Oates would like a word. The former, who is responsible for what is probably the most popular translation of The Odyssey, was deeply critical of Christopher Nolan’s film in a recent piece she wrote for the London Review of Books. Wilson summed up her feelings with, “I would be ashamed to have

Celebrated translator Emily Wilson used baffling arguments to flay Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s poem.

The renowned classics scholar caused a stir when her critical review of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey went viral. Wilson explains her reaction to the film and why she's translating the poem again.

Emily Wilson, whose translation influenced Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey," calls the film's script "abysmal" and says it butchered Odysseus' character.

Wilson, whose translation of 'The Odyssey' was used as a reference for the film adaptation, wrote a review of the film that has the internet abuzz.

The professor trashed the film after Nolan sung her praises during the press tour.

Back in May 2025, it was revealed that Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” ” would be the first feature film shot entirely with Imax 70mm cameras. That announcement sparked interest from other filmmakers. As “The Odyssey’s” box office sails to nearly $300 million domestically, with Imax 70mm screenings sold out for weeks

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is the film of the moment, but classicist Emily Wilson who translated Homer's ancient Greek poem in 2017 has criticised the film adaptation, saying it has "nothing convincing to say."

Christopher Nolan has said that his $250 million epic, The Odyssey, was shaped by the opening line of Emily Wilson’s celebrated translation: “Tell me about a complicated man.” The director praised the “genius” and “inventiveness” of Homer’s hero, insisting that Odysseus was “not just a soldier” but “an amazing strategi

Christopher Nolan dealt blow as translator behind The Odyssey rips apart movie: 'I'd be ashamed!'  GB News

In early publicity for his recently released The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan cited Emily Wilson's opening line in her translation of The Odyssey as a reference point for main character Odysseus. But Wilson's feelings about Nolan's take appear more mixed.