How Could I Forget Odysseus?

In 2017, before Emily Wilson embarked on translating Homer's Odyssey, she fondly recalled a children's production of the epic she had performed in at the age of eight. That early experience with the story, where Odysseus could effortlessly shift from being someone to being nobody and back again, sparked her initial fascination with the text.

Meanwhile, Daniel Mendelsohn, who would later publish his own translation of the Odyssey, captured the essence of Odysseus's insatiable curiosity and his methodical approach to understanding people through a series of snapshots taken during a cruise following Odysseus's journey through the Mediterranean. Zen-like in his meticulous record-keeping, Mendelsohn marveled at his father's seemingly mundane act, recognizing it as an embodiment of Odysseus's enduring nature.

Now, in 2024, both translations have been reintroduced to the public, serving as inspirations for Christopher Nolan's cinematic adaptation of Homer's epic, which is currently playing in theaters.