Joyce Carol Oates has weighed in on the growing controversy surrounding Christopher Nolan's blockbuster adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey, taking aim at classicist Emily Wilson for her harsh critique of the film.
Writing on X, Oates objected to both the style and rhetoric of Wilson's essay published in the London Review of Books. In that piece, Wilson—who published a landmark translation of Homer's epic in 2017—argued that Nolan's film lacks “psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth” and has “nothing convincing to say.”
Oates Criticizes Wilson's Approach
“Rather than disagreeing with interpretations of Homer in a collegial manner,” Oates wrote, “this person, who has benefited enormously from Nolan's film, speaks in the crude language of Maga folks attacking someone with ideas that differ from hers.” She added that a translator should be “just a wee bit more thoughtful and respectful of others who are acting in good faith.”
Oates's comments follow her own implied criticism of the film last week, when she compared it unfavorably to a 1997 Hallmark Channel version by Andrei Konchalovsky. She praised that TV movie's interpretation of the Circe-Odysseus dynamic, its portrayal of Odysseus (“So manly, so fully human”), its Hades interlude (“mesmerising”), and its broader scope.
Wilson's Blast and Nolan's Defence
Wilson's verdict was eagerly anticipated because Nolan had cited her translation's opening line—“Tell me about a complicated man”—as a key reference for his portrayal of Odysseus. However, Wilson found Nolan's characterisation one-dimensional. In her essay, she wrote: “I had hoped that Nolan's affinity with these Homeric themes might push him to new creative heights... But The Odyssey features his usual combination of grandiosity and superficiality.” She also called the writing “abysmal” and noted that “none of the characters has a convincing motivation.”
Universal Pictures has stressed that Nolan was linked to an adaptation long before Wilson's translation was published, disputing claims that he was “inspired” by it.
Sales Surge and Box Office
Despite the dispute, sales of Wilson's translation and other versions of the Odyssey and Iliad have surged. UK bookseller TGJones reported a 1,560% rise in searches for the Iliad this month. No royalties from the film—which cost about $250 million to make and $100 million to promote—go to any writer other than Nolan himself. The film has earned $683 million globally, following Nolan's Oppenheimer which made $975 million and won seven Oscars in 2023. Nolan's Odyssey is widely predicted to follow suit at the next Oscars.
The Guardian has contacted Wilson for comment.
