New pod: EMILY WILSON ON CHRISTOPHER NOLAN’S ‘ODYSSEY’ I talked to the famed “Odyssey” translator Emily Wilson about why she thinks The Odyssey missed a mark and why Nolan’s Odysseus is almost unrecognizable from Homer’s. To borrow from Damon’s filmography, Homer’s protagonist is more heroic Tom Ripley in armor—a master of deception, disguise, and twisty morals—while Nolan’s is more guilt-laden PTSD Jason Bourne. She also acknowledged that the moral landscape of Homer’s Odyssey is so foreign and nearly alien to us that it’s hard to imagine a summer blockbuster that that didn’t make some changes. We also talked about the art of translating ancient texts, how the definition of what makes for a “good translation/adaptation” has changed in the last few centuries, and why we care more about historicity and verisimilitude than we used to.