1/8. In her translation, The Iliad, Professor Emily Wilson addresses the complex question of "Who was Homer?" She explains that for centuries after the Mycenaean collapse, there was no writing in the Greek-speaking world, yet extraordinary oral stories o

Here are eight segments focusing on Professor Emily Wilson's work on The Iliad:

1/8. In her translation, The Iliad, Professor Emily Wilson addresses the complex question of "Who was Homer?" She explains that for centuries after the Mycenaean collapse, there was no writing in the Greek-speaking world, yet extraordinary oral stories of heroes like Achilles and cities like Troy were developed and retold by performing poets. Writing, borrowed from the Phoenicians, arrived in the 8th century BCE, leading to the monumental written poems like The Iliad and The Odyssey, which are sophisticated responses to this long oral tradition.

1578 JUPITER AND OLYMPIA