Emily Wilson reflects on the power of language to evolve our understanding of the past

'Brilliant ... enthralling and profoundly relevant' Salman Rushdie

'Joyful, illuminating and engaging ... required reading for anyone interested in translation' Madeline Miller


How do we give old words new voices? What must a translator lose - and might she gain - when she moves between languages, bringing ancient stories to modern life?

Reflecting on the inspiration, interpretation and (mis)appropriation of words from Antiquity to today, Emily Wilson invites us to explore the translator's art and mind - and gives a wholly fresh insight into the joys and quandaries of her own work.

From Athenian comedy and Rome's love of Greek culture to Han Kang's novels, Cardi B's lyrics and the discoveries she made whilst translating Homer, this is a playful and fascinating voyage into the promise, possibility and constant renewal of our founding classical culture.


Emily Wilson's brilliant reconsiderations of the ancient world - through the figure of Helen of Troy, the remaking of the Iliad by Christopher Logue, the use of comedy to grapple with dark matters, even slavery, and much besides - makes this an enthralling and profoundly relevant book -- Salman Rushdie

I adored reading these joyful, illuminating, and engrossing journeys through ancient literature. Wilson's interest is wide-ranging, moving with elegance and insight across genres and millennia. With wit, passion, and clarity, she invites us into each of these fascinating subjects. The final essay especially is required reading for anyone interested in translation, drawing back the veil on how a brilliant scholar and writer approaches her work -- Madeline Miller, author of THE SONG OF ACHILLES

Vaulting from the ancient to the modern and back again, this collection is erudite, insightful and provocative. An unparalleled insight into the work of a classicist and translator at the height of their powers -- Paul Cooper, author of FALL OF CIVILIZATIONS

We're incredibly lucky to have Emily Wilson writing about the art, politics and ethics of translation and retranslation. Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea is an impressive display of Wilson's expertise, conviction and wit. Her impact within and without the world of literary translation has been huge -- Jen Calleja, author of FAIR: THE LIFE-ART OF TRANSLATION

Details

ISBN13: 9781805225850
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 288
Edition: Main
Publication Date: 01 Sep 2026
Publisher: Profile Books Ltd
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 19.8(H)x12.8(L)x2.2(W)
Weight (gm):

Author Biography

Emily Wilson is Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Her translations of The Odyssey and The Iliad were critically acclaimed across the globe, and she is a regular contributor to the London Review of Books, the New York Times, the New Statesman and the Nation.

Reviews

A masterclass in translation ... fascinating -- Blake Morrison * Guardian *
An engaging investigation into the translator's art ... incisive -- Chris Power * Observer *
Emily Wilson's brilliant reconsiderations of the ancient world - through the figure of Helen of Troy, the remaking of the Iliad by Christopher Logue, the use of comedy to grapple with dark matters, even slavery, and much besides - makes this an enthralling and profoundly relevant book -- Salman Rushdie
Wilson is unquestionably quite cool, and not just by the supposedly buttoned-up standards of her discipline * Financial Times *
Wilson's excitement for her subject is irrepressibly moving . . . even when Wilson issues a barbed critique, she is making room - for more engagement, more imagination, more complexity -- Jennifer Szalai * The New York Times *
Fascinating ... Wilson's book is a timely reminder that that selection of words and phrases is key to the richness of human interaction and explaining what we really mean * The Critic *
This stimulating collection has a way of opening subjects up rather than closing them down ... Wilson does an impressive job of transfusing a classical scholar's knowledge into the liveliness and uncondescending intelligence of good critical writing * TLS *
Wilson may be the world's most famous living classicist. Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea shows off her scholarly range and her accessible, authoritative, opinionated voice * New York Times Book Review *
Excellent -- Rod Liddle * Times Radio *
Surprising ... fascinating -- '70 Brilliant Books for the Summer' * Guardian *
I adored reading these joyful, illuminating, and engrossing journeys through ancient literature. Wilson's interest is wide-ranging, moving with elegance and insight across genres and millennia. With wit, passion, and clarity, she invites us into each of these fascinating subjects. The final essay especially is required reading for anyone interested in translation, drawing back the veil on how a brilliant scholar and writer approaches her work -- Madeline Miller, author of THE SONG OF ACHILLES
Vaulting from the ancient to the modern and back again, this collection is erudite, insightful and provocative. An unparalleled insight into the work of a classicist and translator at the height of their powers -- Paul Cooper, author of FALL OF CIVILIZATIONS
We're incredibly lucky to have Emily Wilson writing about the art, politics and ethics of translation and retranslation. Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea is an impressive display of Wilson's expertise, conviction and wit. Her impact within and without the world of literary translation has been huge -- Jen Calleja, author of FAIR: THE LIFE-ART OF TRANSLATION
Diligent and thoughtful * Boston Globe *
Emily Wilson unlocks the gates to ancient Greece and Rome: her deep understanding of translation is the key -- Peter Stothard, author of HORACE: Poet on a Volcano
By turns witty, stylish, ethical and pugilistic, Wilson reveals herself to be as brilliant an essayist as she is a translator ... This sparkling collection uses the concept of translation to explore the varieties of the modern West's addictive relationship to the Greeks and Romans, from its arrant misreadings to those moments when the ancients appear as if in a mirror -- Tim Whitmarsh, author of BATTLING THE GODS
In her discussion of the possibilities and pitfalls of translation, Wilson has produced a passionately personal - and at times polemic - celebration of language and the power of literature to speak across millennia -- David Stuttard, author of A HISTORY OF ANCIENT GREECE IN 50 LIVES