‘I would
be ashamed to have written any part of this’: Odyssey translator Emily Wilson
attacks Nolan blockbuster
Wilson,
whose work on Homer’s epic was praised by Nolan, said his film was grandiose
and superficial with ‘nothing convincing to say’
Andrew
Pulver
Mon 27
Jul 2026 15.52 BST
Emily
Wilson, the classicist whose 2017 translation of Homer’s Odyssey was cited by
Christopher Nolan in early publicity for his hugely successful adaptation of
the poem, has roundly criticised the film, saying “it has nothing convincing to
say” and that it “lacks psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth”.
In a
scathing essay for the London Review of Books, Wilson writes: “I had hoped that
Nolan’s affinity with these Homeric themes might push him to new creative
heights, and enable him to conjure more believable characters. But The Odyssey
features his usual combination of grandiosity and superficiality … the film’s
vision is too confused, its characters too underdeveloped, to deliver what it
half-promises in terms of big ideas – although it is very good at conveying big
bangs and big giants.”
Wilson
adds: “Nolan’s Odyssey lacks many of the elements that make the poem great. It
has nothing convincing to say about time, memory, history, war, or about the
relationship between one warrior’s glorious return and the lives of his family,
adversaries, comrades, friends and neighbours. It lacks psychological,
emotional, political and ethical depth. Its narrative structure is gimmicky.
The writing is abysmal. None of the characters has convincing motivation for
their actions or words. There are no sex scenes, and all the food looks
horrible.”
Wilson
also noted Nolan’s admiration for the opening line of her Odyssey translation:
“Tell me about a complicated man” – but added: “I would be ashamed to have
written any part of this script.”
Wilson,
who is department chair and professor of classical studies at the University of
Pennsylvania, also went on the attack in an interview with the Sunday Times,
saying: “It didn’t land emotionally for me at all. Which I think is partly
about the fact that, unlike Homer, it’s not very well written.”
“The
characters don’t have the kind of depth the Homeric characters have. I felt,
‘Do I really care if this guy gets back to his wife?’ You haven’t given me any
reason to.”
Nevertheless,
Wilson acknowledged the impact the film is already having on cultural awareness
of ancient Greek literature as well as cinema itself. Saying “the release of
The Odyssey is still an event to celebrate,” she suggests: “This epic is
bringing audiences back to cinemas … translations of Odyssey, including mine,
are flying off the shelves … [and] perhaps the film will persuade a few college
administrators not to cut their literature, language and history departments.”
“Nolan,”
Wilson says, “is doing his best to get the general public reading again, and I
am grateful.”
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