Emily Wilson | Journeys Through Ancient Literature
Sun 22 Nov 2026 | 6:00pm - 7:00pm
How do we give new voices to old words? What must a translator lose – and what might she gain? Emily Wilson, Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, has spent a lifetime wrestling with these questions, particularly in her critically acclaimed translations of The Odyssey and The Iliad. Her new book Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea invites us to consider the messages of translators, from antiquity to today. Join Emily for a playful and fascinating voyage into the promise, possibility and constant renewal of classical literature.
In conversation with Alice Oswald.
Venue: TTP Stage (Cambridge Union)
Duration: 1 hour
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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.
Chair Biography
Alice Oswald lives in Devon and has published several poetry collections, including Dart – a long poem about a river – and Memorial, a version of Homer’s Iliad. She has been awarded the T.S Eliot Prize, Forward Poetry Prize, Griffin Poetry Prize and Costa Poetry Award. She was Oxford Professor of Poetry between 2019 and 2024.
