It's here! Browse the 2024 Penguin Christmas gift guide
Greek Myths

Greek Myths

A new retelling of your favourite myths that puts female characters at the heart of the story

Summary

'A great storyteller' Madeline Miller, author of Circe

In this powerful new collection, Charlotte Higgins foregrounds Greek mythology's most enduring heroines.


Here are the myths of Heracles and Theseus, the Trojan war, Thebes and Argos and Athens. They are stories of love and desire, adventure and magic, destructive gods, helpless humans, fantastical creatures and resourceful witches.

In this telling the female characters take centre stage as Athena, Helen, Circe, Penelope and others weave these stories into elaborate imagined tapestries. In Charlotte Higgins's thrilling new interpretation of these ancient stories, their tales combine to form a dazzling, sweeping epic of storytelling.

With a series of original drawings by Chris Ofili.

Reviews

  • Higgins is a wonderful scholar, and a great story teller. I've been loving these retellings, cleverly centered around the theme of myths told in tapestry.
    Madeline Miller, author of THE SONG OF ACHILLES and CIRCE

About the authors

Charlotte Higgins

Charlotte Higgins's previous books include the acclaimed Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Britain, which was shortlisted for awards including the Samuel Johnson (now Baillie Gifford) Prize for non-fiction, and Red Thread, which was a Radio 4 Book of the Week and won the Arnold Bennett Prize 2019. She is chief culture writer of the Guardian, a past winner of the Classical Association prize, and a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. She lives in London.
Learn More

Chris Ofili (Illustrator)

Chris Ofili is a British artist. He lives and works in Trinidad.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more