Classic Chats: Daniel Mendelsohn on translating the Odyssey
Summary
Classicist Daniel Mendelson joins Mary Beard and Charlotte Higgins to discuss Christopher Nolan’s *Odyssey* film, debating whether adaptations should prioritize fidelity or medium-specific innovation. Mendelson reflects on his memoir *Not the Odyssey but an Odyssey*, which chronicles his father’s critical engagement with the epic and his subsequent decision to translate the poem. He explains his translation priorities, focusing on capturing the density of Homeric lines through Anglo-Saxon diction and long, rolling cadences. The conversation explores why the *Odyssey* remains deeply relevant…
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