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i know everyone has been dying for my take on emily wilson's review of nolan's odyssey and so here it is. it should be an embarrassment to whoever edited it. when a writer files copy like that, you should know how controversial it will be and go above and beyond to help them shore up their take.

once a writer of a review is on bluesky writing extremely long numbered threads and even apologies to correct their own already-published story, that story's editor should be personally apologizing to the writer for having failed them so fucking hard. you do NOT want to see that happen.

i think what nolan chose to change about the poem is FASCINATING (i loved the movie. i also love wilson's translation by the way). but i also can understand why somebody would dislike it, because he made some very unusual and specific changes.

anyway, if one of y'all is ever filing a story like that, you should know what you have, and if an editor takes a very light touch to it, you should know that you are getting fucked. i've had it happen to me before; there are absolutely published takes of mine that i think are dumb af. it happens...

and that's also why i'm so grateful for the times in my life that i've had an editor highlight a sentence and be like "girl, what?" we all need that shit sometimes. and sometimes MANY sentences need to be highlighted. a good editor is a blessing.

Totally unrelated to her review of the movie, I immediately put her translation of the Odyssey on my Libby hold list. Truly excited to read a modern translation by someone who is such an expert.

it's fantastic!!! and i truly hope that people reading her review aren't put off by her so much that they don't still check it out. i'm a former english major so i have previously read other versions of the odyssey and hers is now easily my favorite