August • Fiction
ARCADIAN NIGHTS
Greek Myths Reimagined John Spurling
The vibrant, gripping and often grisly retelling of Greek myths by the prize-winning author. The classical Greek intellectual tradition pervades nearly every aspect of our modern Western civilisation. Our logic and science, our philosophy, politics, literature, architecture, and art are all indebted to the ancient inhabitants of the small mountainous Mediterranean country.
ISBN: 9780715651124 PRICE: £8.99 EXTENT: 320pp PUB DATE: 11 August 2016 CATEGORY: Fiction / Myth & Legend FORMAT: B format PB TERRITORY: WORLD exc. US / CAN EBOOK: 9780715650486
John Spurling won the 2015 Walter Scott Prize for his historical novel The Ten Thousand Things. Spurling is a reviewer and for twelve years was the art critic at the New Statesman. He lives in London and Arcadia, Greece, and is married to the biographer Hilary Spurling. Also by the author: The Ten Thousand Things 9780715638309
Taking as his starting point many of the famous tourist sites in the Peloponnese where the stories are set, John Spurling, winner of the 2015 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, freshly imagines key narratives from the Greek canon, including tales of the doomed house of Atreus; of the god Apollo; Theseus, scourge of the Minotaur; the Twelve Labors of Heracles; and Perseus, rescuer of Andromeda. Stories of murder, power, revenge, love, and traumatic family relationships are made new again for our time, while staying true to the spirit of the original myth, with wit and relish by a gifted author. ‘An excellent read that examines the intricacies of storytelling and the complexities of human nature.’ Helena Gumley-Mason, The Lady ‘Spurling is a first-rate storyteller and this collection should delight everyone from the scholar of Greek myths to one reading them for the first time.’ We Love This Book
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