From Joyce to Tóibín: 10 of the best books inspired by ancient Greek myths
Colm Tóibín’s ‘House of Names’ is an intricately plotted novel that draws on a number of Greek myths. Picture: Barry Cronin
When we think of Greek myths we think of vengeful gods, legendary heroes, sweeping love affairs and dastardly deeds. They are transformative tales which explore the full range of human experience so it is hardly surprising that writers continually turn to them for inspiration.
Poets such as Dante and Petrarch were enthralled by Greek myth, so too were Chaucer and Milton. Mary Shelley famously incorporated the theme of Prometheus into Frankenstein, and CS Lewis drew on Ovid’s Metamorphoses in his 1956 novel Till We Have Faces. In recent years mythical retellings have been booming, especially those that bring the role of women to the fore — Circe by Madeline Miller was released in 2018 while 2021 saw debuts such as Claire Heywood’s Daughters of Sparta and Rosie Hewlett’s Medusa hit the shelves, and Jennifer Saint’s much-anticipated Elektra is due out later this year.
