Emily Wilson, the first woman to translate both The Odyssey and The Iliad into English verse, has redefined classical literature with her fresh, accessible style. A professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Wilson was recently in Greece for the Oxbelly Retreat, where she spoke to TO BHMA about Homer’s enduring relevance, the future of classical studies in the era of AI and cancel culture, and the political insights ancient epics still offer today.

Wilson explained that her choice to render Homer in verse was deeply tied to the original performative nature of epic poetry. “These works were composed to be spoken aloud by bards in front of a community,” she noted. “I was constantly thinking about performance as I worked, because the epics were experienced—well into Roman times—not as silent reading material but as texts recited and heard, shared among people.”

She also emphasized the link between Homer and the evolution of ancient Greek drama. “I wanted to highlight the fact that these texts laid the groundwork for later dramatic poetry,” she said. “As I translated, I would read everything out loud to make sure it sounded right.”

This attention to rhythm, tone, and accessibility shaped her translations into something vibrant and contemporary without being anachronistic. “I didn’t want it to sound artificially archaic,” she explained. “I wanted a kind of oldness that feels only 20 years behind, not 200. I aimed for a formal tone—but not an overblown or fussy one.”

In the Iliad, especially, she reflected carefully on how soldiers in the heat of battle might actually speak to one another. One of the most difficult challenges, she said, was handling forms of address. “I considered using things like ‘buddy’ or ‘bro,’ but they didn’t sit well in the Homeric register. I settled on ‘my friend.’”

Wilson is quick to clarify that her goal isn’t to oversimplify ancient texts to the point of dullness. Rather, as a teacher, she sees her role as helping students navigate the real complexities of classical literature, not inventing artificial obstacles.

“Take something as basic as word order. Ancient Greek and modern English don’t line up,” she said. “If I shift the order of words in translation to make the sentence more natural in English, that’s not dumbing it down—it’s opening up space to engage with the richer, more meaningful challenges of Homer.”

When it comes to artificial intelligence in the classroom, however, Wilson is wary. “I think it’s doing real harm,” she said. “Students are increasingly reluctant to read critically or to produce something original, the result of their own thinking. It’s become very difficult to persuade them not to rely on AI for their essays. I now design assignments specifically to avoid reading pages and pages written by a machine.”

She also weighed in on Hollywood’s renewed interest in Homer, with reference to the much-anticipated film The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan. “I think it’s wonderful,” she said. “Of course, not every adaptation is good, but there’s something timelessly compelling about Homeric epics. Hollywood’s enduring love affair with them is, I think, rooted in two things.

First, echoes of the archaic world still resonate—just look at today’s wars, mass displacements, and refugee crises. Second, Homer’s epics pose political questions that never stop being relevant: What does a just society look like? What kind of government do we want?”

She also views the trend of canceling classical texts as deeply troubling, emphasizing that the real danger lies in fostering ignorance. She argues that rather than erasing difficult parts of history—such as slavery, colonization, violence, and abuse, all present in ancient texts—we should confront them to better understand our past and origins.

Finally, Wilson made a strong case for Homer’s continued relevance, especially for those in leadership roles. She emphasized that while Homer doesn’t provide direct answers, his work encourages deeper thinking, empathy, and an understanding of others’ perspectives—qualities often overlooked in political and leadership contexts. His epics offer valuable insights into human emotions, rhetoric, and the broader complexities of decision-making.