CYCLE 01
The OdysseyTRANSLATED BY EMILY WILSON
The oldest story in the Western world and somehow, still the most alive.
The Book
Homer's epic has been told for nearly three thousand years. But Emily Wilson's landmark translation, the first by a woman, gives it something it was always waiting for: precision, intimacy, and a radical honesty about who the story actually belongs to.
This is a story about a man trying to get home. And about every person who held everything together while he was gone. It's about longing, cunning, loyalty, transformation, and the strange endurance of the human spirit across impossible distance and time.
It is, above all, a story worth living through slowly.
“A revelation. Never have I been so aware at once of the beauty of the poetry, the physicality of Homer’s world, and the moral ambiguity of those who inhabit it. Wilson’s decisions to discard flowery conventions, and to limit herself to the number of lines in the original poem, produce a version both fleet and vivid.”
Why We Choose It
We wanted Cycle 01 to feel like a beginning, something vast enough to set the tone for everything La Lecturia will become. The Odyssey is exactly that. It's a story about journeys. And so is this.
For this cycle, we chose Emily Wilson's landmark 2017 translation, the first complete English translation of The Odyssey by a woman, nearly 2,700 years after Homer wrote the original. Wilson's version has been hailed as a cultural landmark by critics, praised for its clarity, musicality, and radical honesty about who this story actually belongs to. The New York Times called it a revelation. The Guardian called it a new cultural landmark that will change the way the poem is read in English forever.
It also arrives at the perfect cultural moment, Christopher Nolan's film adaptation, which drew inspiration from Wilson's translation, releases July 17, 2026. We'll be watching it together having already lived inside the story.
This is the version of The Odyssey that was always meant to be read right now. And we think you'll feel that from the very first line.
The EventsBased in LA? Skip the shipping and pick up your Cycle 01 kit in person at our Kickoff Gathering on June 7th. Your RSVP includes your kit, activity materials, and access to the in-person kickoff gathering.
IMPORTANT: After ordering, check your email to complete a short quiz so we can personalize your kit.
The book is not included — members source their own copy of The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson.
Please note: Spaces for the kickoff gathering are limited due to venue capacity. Purchasing this option secures your access to the in-person event.
The FINALE (TBD)
A fully curated evening to close out Cycle 01. More details to come.
Telemachus in Search of His Father, 1 March 1805 After John Flaxman RA (1755 - 1826)
The Kit TeaserWHAT'S INSIDE YOUR KIT
Every kit is assembled around the world of the book and around you. Inside your kit: a personalized letter, a character bookmark, a sticker sheet, and a pairing guide. Every detail chosen to deepen your experience of the story.from the world of The Odyssey.
Ready to Join Cycle 01?The order deadline is June 7th. Once it passes, this cycle closes.