Radical Retellings: New Perspectives on Greek Myth in Contemporary Writing
Are Greek myths, as Charlotte Higgins argued for The Guardian in 2021, ‘relevant for all time’? This question relates to the widespread influence of ancient Greek myth in contemporary culture, especially in areas such as literature. The classical stories of Homer and Sophocles, amongst others, are frequently being revised to offer a modern entry point to ancient myth. In recent years, publishing has seen a sharp rise in re-imaginings of Greek myth, and works by Pat Barker, Margaret Atwood, Madeline Miller, Natalie Haynes, Jennifer Saint, Bea Fitzgerald, and Jessie Burton, have all appeared on bestseller lists.