Canongate Myth Series

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Canongate Myth Series is a series of short novels in which ancient myths from myriad cultures are reimagined and rewritten by contemporary authors. The project was conceived in 1999 by Jamie Byng, owner of the independent Scottish publishing firm Canongate Books, and the first three titles in the series were published on October 21, 2005.[1] Though the initial novellas received mixed-to-positive reviews,[2][3][4] the project was heralded by many in the press as "bold" and "ambitious,"[4][5][6] with Metro calling it "one of the most ambitious acts of mass storytelling in recent years."[7]

The series is intended to have an international focus, with contributing authors that have included Russian writer Victor Pelevin and Israeli author David Grossman. Also, the first title in the series, Karen Armstrong's A Short History of Myth, was published the same day in 33 countries and 28 languages, in what the Washington Post called "the biggest simultaneous publication ever."[6] As of 2008, nine books have been published in the series, with Byng hoping to eventually publish 100.[7]

The three latest titles were published in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2007: Binu and the Great Wall by Su Tong, Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith, and Where Three Roads Meet by Salley Vickers. Instalments in the series are also forthcoming from the authors Donna Tartt (writing about Daedalus and Icarus),[8] A. S. Byatt,[1] Chinua Achebe, Milton Hatoum, and Natsuo Kirino.[9]

[edit] List of titles

Title Author Mythological Characters Publication date
A Short History of Myth Karen Armstrong Flag of the United KingdomFlag of the United StatesOctober 21, 2005
The Penelopiad Margaret Atwood Penelope, Odysseus Flag of the United KingdomFlag of the United StatesOctober 21, 2005
Weight Jeanette Winterson Atlas, Heracles Flag of the United KingdomFlag of the United StatesOctober 21, 2005
The Helmet of Horror Victor Pelevin
(trans. Andrew Bromfield)
Theseus, the Minotaur Flag of Russia2005
Flag of the United KingdomFlag of the United StatesMarch 2, 2006
Lion's Honey David Grossman
(trans. Stuart Schoffman)
Samson Flag of Israel2005
Flag of the United StatesMarch 23, 2006
Flag of the United KingdomJune 1, 2006
Dream Angus Alexander McCall Smith Aengus Flag of the United StatesSeptember 12, 2006
Flag of the United KingdomOctober 5, 2006
Girl Meets Boy Ali Smith Iphis Flag of the United KingdomNovember 1, 2007
Flag of the United StatesDecember 21, 2007
Binu and the Great Wall Su Tong
(trans. Howard Goldblatt)
Meng Jiang Flag of the People's Republic of China2006
Flag of the United KingdomNovember 1, 2007
Flag of the United StatesFebruary 18, 2008
Where Three Roads Meet Salley Vickers Oedipus, Tiresias Flag of the United KingdomNovember 1, 2007
Flag of the United StatesAugust 10, 2008
The Fire Gospel Michel Faber Prometheus Flag of the United KingdomNovember,2008
The Myth of Izanagi and Izanami Natsuo Kirino Izanagi, Izanami Flag of the United StatesMarch 10, 2009

[edit] References

[edit] External links


Languages