Douglas
They are being published in a uniform hard cover edition as far as I
can see. Came out a few weks ago here, but I had them on my Poland
trip. The Atwood The Penelopiad is very Atwoodish, Penelope's version,
catty, witty sometimes, interesting on the meaning of Odysseus's murder
of the twelve maidens. The other one out so far is Jeanette Winterson's
Weight, in which she interpolates herself into the narrative of Atlas &
Heracles.. So it seems each author will be allowed to write about a
known myth in his or her own way. I also read Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys
on the trip & actually found it to be even more in line with what
Armstrong is calling for.
Basically Armstrong argues that myth-making is a central human
activity, which we have lost, or have lost proper connection with. So
that's one reason for inviting artists to revisit some of the best
known ones & somehow re-veal/veil them for our culture.
Doug
On 26-Oct-05, at 12:00 PM, Douglas Clark wrote:
> Karen Armstrong and Margaret Atwood are discussing Myth tonight on
> Radio 3 and I will be listening, having a night off from my Bach
> concerts. I saw these little books being reviewed but didnt realise
> Karen Armstrong had written one. I read all her work. I think Margaret
> Atwood's book is the retelling of a Greek myth which she is turning
> into a play (or TV programme) with Phyllida Law. I just found the
> article in today's Guardian...Atwood will be acting in her update of
> the Odyssey told from the viewpoint of Odysseus's wife.
>
> And I remember these myth books are published by The Honourable Jamie
> Byng at Canongate whose ex-wife Whitney had a marvellous statement
> about their love in Scotland on Sunday this week. So Karen Armstrong
> must have written an introduction for them. To Amazon!
>
>
> The staged reading of The Penelopiad is on tonight at St James's
> Church, Piccadily.
>
>
Douglas Barbour
11655 - 72 Avenue NW
Edmonton Ab T6G 0B9
(780) 436 3320
The blank page
as merely an interval or
an intrusion. We could not rescue it
nor could we huddle, as if the page were
big enough.
Kathleen Fraser
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