Arcadian Nights: Gods, Heroes and Monsters from Greek Myth from the winner of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction

(Paperback)

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Ancient as they are, the Greek myths still resonate at the core of our literature and culture, and may well reveal more about human nature and the world we have created than we like to believe.

From the garden of his house in the Peloponnese overlooking the gulf of Argos, award-winning playwright and novelist John Spurling draws on a lifetime's engagement with the classics and with Greek culture to reanimate the characters of Apollo, Herakles, Theseus, Perseus and Agamemnon, along with the gods, demi-gods, monsters and mortals who shaped their destinies. Gripping, spirited and sometimes grisly, Spurling's fresh interpretations of these timeless tales bring both their heroes and their context vividly to life.

Reviews

'Arcadian Nightsis a brilliant, riveting book that leaves its competitors behind, blinking into the distance, as surely as Theseus left Ariadne'TLS

'This book shines... seamlessly interweaving personal and historical perspectives...Arcadian Nightsis good fun'Historical Novels Review

'Classicists and non-classicists alike will loveArcadian Nights... a great book'Oxford Today

'The Greek myths are dusted off from old college readers like Edith Hamilton'sMythologyand given new life in this fantastic collection... Well-written,Arcadian Nightswill be difficult to put down'New York Journal of Books

'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

Author Bio

John Spurling is an award-winning historical novelist and playwright whose plays have been performed on TV, radio and stage, including at the National Theatre. Among his novels areThe Ten ThousandThings, which was highly acclaimed and won the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction,A Mirror for Monkeys, and his first volumes of retellings of Greek myths,Arcadian NightsandArcadian Days. He has reviewed for a range of newspapers, magazines and BBC radio, and was for twelve years the art critic of theNew Statesman. He lives in London and formerly in Arcadia, Greece, and is married to the biographer Hilary Spurling.