Aos nossos tempos modernos: uma proposta de tradução da Odisseia de Emily Wilson

Abstract

This article aims to analyze and discuss the reception of the translation of Homer’s Odyssey by the British professor and translator Emily Wilson, since it was published in 2017. It is the first translation of the Odyssey into English made by a woman, and it was highly commented on for its feminist approach – made clear in Wilson (2018; 2019) – and its use of contemporary language. I emphasize on how the discussion promoted by Wilson is important and necessary, both in her intention to re-democratize the work, and to question the proportionally few female translators in the field of classics, especially epic poetry. I also present a translation of the first 207 lines of Wilson’s translation into Portuguese, in decasyllables, verse by verse. The motivation for translating this excerpt is to comment on some of Wilson’s most controversial decisions, and to bring even more to the Brazilian scene the discussion of gender studies triggered by it. And, along with this, emphasize the importance of reviewing classical texts from new perspectives.