Süddeutsche Zeitung
The Odyssey: A Complicated Man
Süddeutsche Zeitung commissioned an opening illustration and three vignettes for Felix Stephan’s essay on Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey. The essay asks who holds power in the poem. I placed Odysseus among the women who shape his journey, with Athena presiding over the storm in the opening image. The illustrations appeared in print and online, with art direction by Lina Moreno.
- Client
- Süddeutsche Zeitung
- Deliverables
- Opening illustration and three vignettes
- Print and digital
Finding the image
The early drawings explored the visual world of the Odyssey through its emblematic objects and characters. In one image, women weave Odysseus’s figure from threads, making visible the people who sustain his journey.
Vignettes
Circe turns his men into pigs; Penelope buys time at the loom; and Odysseus himself, two forces in one body: the king who commands and the survivor who charms his way out.
In print and online
Published on 10 July 2026, in the printed edition and online.
Credits
- Illustration
- Catalina Vásquez
- Art direction
- Lina Moreno
- Text
- Felix Stephan
