My Intellectual Diary ... Just One Man’s Journey Through the Western Intellect
Latest Updates and Thoughts: August 3rd, 2026 I finished Emily Wilson's translation of the Odyssey yesterday. I listened to it as an audiobook, so I don't have as many insights as if I had read and annotated a physical copy, but overall I enjoyed the translation. It it not overly wordy. In fact, I would say that it has a short, punchy-ness to the lines. There is a bit of a modernization in the English used compared to other more wordy and formal translations, such as Robert Fagles. My favorite part would actually be the reading that Claire Danes did of the audiobook. Having a great reader really makes or breaks the audiobook genre in my opinion. I have to be honest, though, it bothered me listening to Wilson's introduction to the work. She went off tangentially on feminism and colonization, and I just had to stop and skip to Book I. Likewise, the actress that played Helen said in a interview that she would point out to Homer how much screen time that women get in the movi...
