Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson and published by the Folio Society
An epic Limited Edition of Homer’s The Iliad & The Odyssey, featuring Emily Wilson’s ‘cultural landmark’ translations and with captivating illustrations by celebrated artist Clive Hicks-Jenkins gets its release next month.
Considered a cornerstone of Western literature, in Emily Wilson’s refreshing and internationally acclaimed translations – the first major translation of Homer by a woman – the 2,700-year-old epic poems of war, heroism and homecoming are perfect for a modern audience.
Award-winning artist and master of visual storytelling, Clive Hicks-Jenkins’ gouache overworked with pencil artworks bring an immediacy to the events and work collaboratively with Wilson’s translation.
Based in Monmouthshire, Clive’s paintings are in numerous public collections, including the National Museum of Wales and the Contemporary Art Society for Wales, as well as private collections and libraries around the world.
He is a Royal Cambrian Academician and an Honorary Fellow of Aberystwyth University School of Art. In 2017 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts by Southampton Solent University.
One of Clive’s illustrations from the new Folio Society books
Hicks-Jenkins’ box design cleverly incorporates a warrior’s helmet and a Greek trireme, before the reader is frozen by the hidden stare of Medusa and enchanted by the sirens’ song.
His meticulous illustrating work included creating models of chariots & to ensure his illustrations captured the way they moved correctly.
Epic
The Iliad plunges readers into the fury of the Trojan War, where gods and mortals clash in a brutal struggle that centres on the overwhelming wrath of Achilles and its devastating consequences.
And in the aftermath of the war, The Odyssey follows Odysseus on his perilous journey home, battling vengeful gods and mythical creatures as he fights to reclaim his kingdom and reunite with his family.
Clive’s work on the illustrations in progress
With Wilson’s fresh, poetic style, these fundamental works of Western literature feel more immediate than ever. Faithful to the original, Wilson’s language is concise and energetic, making the epic poems accessible without losing the grandeur and pace of the originals, and their deeply human core.
Writing in iambic pentameter – a natural rhythm for English readers – Wilson balances fidelity to the Greek text with readability.
Drama
Featuring coloured leather spines and dramatic binding designs, the quarter-bound volumes enclose timeless stories of heroes and villains, gods and monsters, that are as compelling now as they were almost three millennia ago.
Limited to just 500 copies and priced at £700 each, the Folio Society’s The Iliad & The Odyssey will feature two new introductions by Emily Wilson and will be signed by both Clive Hicks-Jenkins and Emily Wilson. Continuing Folio’s commitment to bringing readers the best of world literature in strikingly contemporary guises, The Iliad & The Odyssey will be available exclusively from www.foliosociety.com.
James Rose, Head of Editorial at the Folio Society, said: “Homer’s epic poems are the foundation stones of Western literature. Encompassing the rage of Achilles, the mighty struggle for Troy and the beguiling journey of Odysseus, these are monumental achievements of storytelling that are told afresh by Emily Wilson’s dramatic translation and by Clive Hicks-Jenkins’s extraordinary illustrations.”
Clive Hicks-Jenkins’ studio
Speaking to The Art Newspaper recently, Hicks Jenkins shared: “For me, text is everything,” emphasising the unique significance of Wilson’s Homer, not just as a translation by a woman, but by “an academic with a poetic heart”.
He added: “I don’t want to distract the reader, so the images are intended to not interrupt too much,” he says. “They’re breaths within the text, so the illustrations are in the same palette throughout so that you’re not having to adjust your eye to a cacophony of colour, and then back to black-and-white text.”
The Folio Society’s Limited Editions now sell out in an average of 4 hours, with the fastest selling title being The Hobbit which sold out in 12 minutes
Folio Society’s The Iliad and The Odyssey, Homer, translation Emily Wilson with illustrations by Clive Hicks-Jenkins is published 12 August 2025. Read more on the Folio Society website.
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