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Details
Condition: BRAND NEW
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781786892485
Publisher: Canongate (Canons)
Age Range: Adult
Overview
A sharp, witty retelling of Homer's Odyssey from the perspective of Penelope, Odysseus's long-suffering wife. Stuck in the underworld for millennia, Penelope finally sets the record straight on the myths told about her "fidelity" and the brutal fate of her twelve maids. Margaret Atwood turns an ancient legend inside out, giving voice to the women history silenced. Funny, feminist and devastating by turns, this slim modern classic rewards both newcomers to Greek myth and devoted Atwood readers alike.
About the Book
Immortalised for three thousand years as the devoted, patient wife who wove and unpicked her burial shroud while waiting for Odysseus to come home, Penelope has always been a symbol of quiet virtue. In The Penelopiad, Margaret Atwood lets her speak for herself at last. Wandering the underworld in the present day, Penelope looks back on her marriage, her cunning cousin Helen of Troy, and the real story behind the slaughter of her twelve maids on Odysseus's return — a detail Homer brushes past in a few lines, but which haunts Penelope for eternity.
Told with Atwood's trademark wit and wickedly sharp prose, the novella interweaves Penelope's first-person narrative with a Greek-chorus commentary from the murdered maids, who demand their own version of events be heard. The result is a dark, playful and deeply feminist reimagining that questions who gets to tell history and whose suffering gets footnoted. First published in 2005 as part of the Canongate Myths series, this edition appears in Canongate's Canons imprint, which gathers classic and modern classic fiction in a smart, collectible paperback format. At under 200 pages, it is a fast, rewarding read that rewards re-reading long after the final page.
Key Benefits
- A fresh, feminist retelling of The Odyssey from Penelope's point of view
- Written by Booker Prize-winning author Margaret Atwood
- Part of Canongate's acclaimed Myths series, now in the collectible Canons paperback edition
- Short, accessible format (under 200 pages) ideal for book clubs and classic literature fans
- Blends humour, tragedy and sharp social commentary
- Perfect gift for lovers of mythology retellings and literary fiction
About the Author
Margaret Atwood is one of the most celebrated authors writing in English today. A Canadian poet, novelist and essayist, she is best known for The Handmaid's Tale and its sequel The Testaments, as well as the MaddAddam trilogy. Her novel The Blind Assassin won the Booker Prize, and she has received countless other honours for her fiction, poetry and essays. Atwood's work is renowned for its sharp intelligence, dark wit and unflinching exploration of power, gender and storytelling itself, qualities fully on display in her retelling of Penelope's story.
Why You'll Love This Fiction
Clever, darkly funny and quietly devastating, The Penelopiad gives a voiceless mythic figure her own story at last. A must-read for fans of feminist retellings and classic literature.
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