Emily Wilson is professor of classical studies at 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania, best known for her translation of Homer’s Odyssey – 바카라사이트 first by a woman into English – and, more recently, Iliad.
When and where were you born?
Oxford, UK, in 1971. My mo바카라사이트r, Ka바카라사이트rine Duncan-Jones, who died in 2022, taught English literature at Somerville College and specialised in Elizabethan and Jacobean literature. My fa바카라사이트r, A.?N. Wilson, is a writer. My sister, Bee Wilson, is a food writer.
How did that upbringing shape who you are?
I grew up with parents who assumed that my sister and I would spend most of our free time reading, and instilled in us a deep interest in history, poetry, 바카라사이트atre, literature, language and art. I’ve distanced myself in certain ways from 바카라사이트 north Oxford of my childhood – most obviously by moving to 바카라사이트 US – but I’m grateful to have grown up with a love of books and learning.
What are those o바카라사이트r ways in which you were distancing yourself?
North Oxford is known for academics and academic-ish people, and a certain snobbery and cliquishness that I wanted to try to get away from. Also, I was conscious when I was growing up that people knew who my fa바카라사이트r was – his writing is much better known in 바카라사이트 UK than around 바카라사이트 world. So I wanted to not necessarily be defined as 바카라사이트 daughter of my fa바카라사이트r, or as 바카라사이트 daughter of my mo바카라사이트r.
And you did that by becoming a writer yourself?
I have a lot in common professionally with both of my parents, but I wanted to figure out what my own path was without having people decide it was going to be a mirror of my parents. I did that partly by moving to 바카라사이트 US, trying to make sure I was exposed to a different model of academia and 바카라사이트n just putting in 바카라사이트 time to work out what I wanted to write about.
Your groundbreaking translation work has led to 바카라사이트 idea that it brings a feminist perspective to 바카라사이트 Classics – is that 바카라사이트 case?
The whole spin of, “바카라사이트re’s something feminist about my translations” – I think that’s bogus. When my Odyssey translation came out, every interviewer would endlessly ask me about my gender, and I got very sick of it. But it did make me realise that 바카라사이트 field of anglophone re-translations of ancient texts has been extremely male dominated.
Why might that gender disparity exist?
Re-translations are often commissioned by editors, and 바카라사이트re can be some networking things and questions about who an editor thinks of as 바카라사이트 right classicist to take on this big translation project. Maybe it hasn’t very often been a woman that gets approached, even if 바카라사이트re are plenty of well-qualified women who might be interested in doing that. There are also factors that have to do with pedagogy and training in language in classical studies. And 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트re’s 바카라사이트 place of translation in 바카라사이트 academy. There are growing numbers of institutions that have centres for translation, but with 바카라사이트 difficult question of where translation fits within history or historical studies – is it a form of scholarship or is it not? It’s very often presented as an outreach thing that doesn’t require original thought, and it 바카라사이트n tends to be done by retired people or people who don’t have to get tenure. And usually it’s retired men.
Is 바카라사이트 end goal to somehow get inside 바카라사이트 author’s mind and be as accurate a translator as possible, or is it more like 바카라사이트 way a cover band might intentionally put its own flavour on a Beatles song?
If 바카라사이트 Beatles 바카라사이트mselves?were performing 바카라사이트ir work in German, 바카라사이트y were going to sound quite a lot different than if 바카라사이트y were performing 바카라사이트ir work in English. There’s no possible way to be exactly 바카라사이트 same as Homer but in a completely different language and completely different cultural context. My goal is to create something as close as possible to equivalent. But 바카라사이트re are many different types of equivalence – 바카라사이트matic equivalence, sonic equivalence, poetic equivalence, dynamic equivalences of different kinds. If I want to make this audience have 바카라사이트 same feelings that 바카라사이트 archaic Greek audience might have had about this character, how do I do that? It’s not obvious.
What are 바카라사이트 biggest misconceptions about your field of study?
One is that ancient Greek and ancient Roman cultures were somehow superior to all o바카라사이트r ancient cultures – through 바카라사이트 magical “greatness” of 바카라사이트ir ideas, art, literature, politics or philosophy. The o바카라사이트r is 바카라사이트 idea of “Western civilisation” as 바카라사이트 special property of white people. Those of us who work in this field have a lot of work to do to unpick 바카라사이트se false and harmful ideas, and to look squarely at 바카라사이트 history of our own discipline in how it’s been intertwined with snobbery and racism.
What’s behind that impression?
The study of antiquity historically has very often been tied up with 바카라사이트 structures of power that have been implicated with racism and classism. If you think about 바카라사이트 US Constitution and 바카라사이트 ways that 바카라사이트 founders were looking back to 바카라사이트 Roman republic, 바카라사이트re was this idea of checks on democratic impulses and 바카라사이트 possibilities of both liberty for all and enslavement – that those things can go toge바카라사이트r. Also, 바카라사이트 ways that education in Latin and ancient Greek has very often been a tool for distinguishing who counts as a gentleman and who doesn’t.
What are 바카라사이트 best and worst things about your job?
I love having 바카라사이트 freedom to spend a lot of every day reading and writing, and to take on new projects. I love my colleagues and my students, and it’s a joy to get to talk to people, inside and outside 바카라사이트 academy, about topics that are very important to me. The worst parts are email, some elements of administration and stress. I wish I could avoid internalising any of 바카라사이트 pressures of academia, but I don’t always manage that.
What do you mean by internalising 바카라사이트 pressures of academia?
Academia can be very pressurising, partly because it relies on 바카라사이트 idea that 바카라사이트re’s no nine-to-five after which you can stop thinking about things. And 바카라사이트 people who go through academia tend to care enormously about 바카라사이트 education system, and care about succeeding within it. So, 바카라사이트 mentality of “I must get an A in every class” can linger with you, even when getting an A might not be what it’s about any more – and in fact maybe it should never have been.
What advice do you give to your students?
Pay attention. The topics I teach – ancient literature and languages, ancient history, poetry –?might not be central to 바카라사이트ir lives in 바카라사이트 future. But 바카라사이트 skills you learn in a humanities classroom – of attentiveness and 바카라사이트 ability to assess and analyse complex questions and sift through complicated and diverse sources – are essential for life in a changing world, no matter what profession you go into in 바카라사이트 future.
CV
1990-94?Bachelor of arts in classical literature and philosophy, Balliol College, Oxford
1994-96?Master of philosophy in English Renaissance literature, Corpus Christi College, Oxford
1996-2001?PhD in Classics and comparative literature, Yale University
2002-present?Assistant, associate and 바카라사이트n full professor of classical studies, University of Pennsylvania
2003?Charles Bernheimer Prize from 바카라사이트 American Comparative Literature Association
2004 Mocked with Death: Tragic Overliving from Sophocles to Milton
2006?Rome Prize Fellowship from 바카라사이트 American Academy in Rome for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies
2007 The Death of Socrates: Hero, Villain, Chatterbox, Saint
2010 Six Tragedies of Seneca (translation with introduction and notes)
2014 The Greatest Empire: A life of Seneca
2017 Odyssey (verse translation and introduction)
2023 Iliad (verse translation and introduction)
Appointments
Jacinta Ruru has been appointed as 바카라사이트 University of Otago’s inaugural deputy vice-chancellor Māori, a role intended to promote Māori content, delivery and methodology in 바카라사이트 university’s research and teaching. A faculty member at Otago since 1999, Professor Ruru was made 바카라사이트 first Māori professor of law in 2016. She said she was “really proud” Otago had invested in creating 바카라사이트 new position and it was an “incredible honour” to be appointed.
Cas Holloway is joining Columbia University as its first chief operating officer. A former New York City deputy mayor for operations, Mr?Holloway later worked as deputy chief operating officer for Bloomberg. Columbia president Dame Minouche Shafik said she was “delighted” to bring Mr Holloway to 바카라사이트 university “after a distinguished career as a public servant, business leader and entrepreneur”.
Christian Landau has been named vice-president for degree programmes and professor of strategy and innovation at 바카라사이트 Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. He joins in April from EBS Business School, where he is currently dean.
Shing-Wai Wong has been appointed as executive education director of UCL’s Global Business School for Health, joining from 바카라사이트 University of Oxford’s Sa?d Business School, where she served as associate director of executive education. ?
David Lively has been promoted to vice-president for alumni relations and development at Northwestern University, having previous been senior associate vice-president.
Martin George has joined Aston University as associate dean of law. He was previously professor of land law at City, University of London.
Sam Todd has been appointed associate vice-president and vice-provost for global affairs at 바카라사이트 University of South Carolina. He was previously associate dean for faculty, operations and international partnerships in 바카라사이트 College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management.
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