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

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Description

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.
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.

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 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