Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. Today in our Back to School series,

we're going to talk about The Odyssey. Unfortunately, we do not have an interview with Homer

in our archives, but we did talk to Emily Wilson in 2018 when she became the first woman

to translate the epic poem into English. Since then, the translation has become a hot button topic if you follow the drama going

along in classics departments.

And in this interview with NPR's Lauren Freyer, they do an AB comparison with Wilson's

version and a previous translation.

And Wilson says what she was going for above accessibility was clarity.

That's after the break.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, sources and methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people, helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Sing to me of the man, muse, the man of twists and turns.

Remember reading those lines in high school?

It's The Odyssey. And nearly three millennia on, there are hundreds of translations of Homer's epic.

But only now do we have a translation into English done by a woman. Her name is Emily Wilson.

She's a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania, and she joins us now from the studios of our member station, W-H-Y-Y-Y. Welcome, Emily.

Thank you so much for having me. Thank you for your hospitality. How did you first encounter

the Odyssey? I read that you played Athena in a childhood play? I did. Tell us about that.

It was a lovely experience.

I was a shy, unhappy eight-year-old in a new school.

...