Emily Wilson’s Pan of ‘The Odyssey’ Ignites a Debate Among Classicists and Commenters
The New York Times • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Christopher Nolan’s film "The Odyssey" is nearing $1 billion in box office sales but faces criticism from classical scholar Emily Wilson for deviating from traditional interpretations of Homer’s epic.
- Emily Wilson, a leading translator of the Odyssey, harshly criticized the movie in a detailed 4,000-word review published in The London Review of Books, expressing shame over the script.
- Wilson’s critique sparked significant public debate about the tension between commercial blockbuster filmmaking and fidelity to literary classics.
- The London Review of Books website experienced technical issues due to the high traffic generated by Wilson’s review, highlighting the widespread interest in the controversy.
