Wilson, Emily R.

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  • The Death of Socrates

    £12.99

    Socrates is revered as a man who spoke truth to power. Yet his death in 399 BC was the first time in recorded history that a democratic government condemned a person to death for their beliefs. His death was a potent symbol of free speech, and Socrates’ fate has haunted Western thought ever since – a guiding influence on Plato, John Stuart Mills, Nietzsche and Martin Luther King. In this incisive survey of philosophy and politics, renowned classicist and translator Emily Wilson unravels ancient philosophy’s most enduring – and hardest – questions: why did ancient Athens execute its leading intellectual? How do democracies deal with dissent? And can our own society allow for total freedom of speech and thought?

  • Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea

    £12.99

    How do we give old words new voices? What must a translator lose – and might she gain – when she moves between languages, bringing ancient stories to modern life? Reflecting on the inspiration, interpretation and (mis)appropriation of words from Antiquity to today, Emily Wilson invites us to explore the translator’s art and mind – and gives a wholly fresh insight into the joys and quandaries of her own work. From Athenian comedy and Rome’s love of Greek culture to Han Kang’s novels, Cardi B’s lyrics and the discoveries she made whilst translating Homer, this is a playful and fascinating voyage into the promise, possibility and constant renewal of our founding classical culture.