In conversation with Natalie Haynes
Renowned author, broadcaster and Classicist Natalie Haynes will join Patrick O’Sullivan (Classics Department, University of Canterbury) to discuss her recent work on the goddesses and women of Greek myth, and what the ancient Greeks and Romans – in all the richness and complexity of their cultures – can offer us when facing some of the most challenging issues of our time.
Natalie Haynes is a writer and broadcaster and – according to the Washington Post – a rock star mythologist. Her first novel, The Amber Fury, was published to great acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, as was The Ancient Guide to Modern Life, her previous book. Her second novel, The Children of Jocasta, was published in 2017. Her retelling of the Trojan War, A Thousand Ships, was published in 2019. It was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2020. It has been translated into multiple languages. Her most recent non-fiction book, Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myth was published in Oct 2020, and reached number 2 in the New York Times Bestseller chart. Her novel about Medusa, Stone Blind, was published in Sep 2022.
Patrick O’Sullivan is Associate Professor in the Classics Department at the University of Canterbury. A graduate of Melbourne and Cambridge Universities, he has won awards for his teaching and research, and has published widely on ancient Greek literature and cultural history, from epic, lyric and dramatic poetry to Greek art, philosophy, atheism, and beyond. In 2008 he was a translator and actor in a full production of Euripides’ Cyclops, produced in Christchurch, which was linked to his (co-authored) book on Greek satyric drama, published in 2013. Current projects include a contracted book entitled The Rhetoric of Greek Art, plus work on Pindar and the Sophists, emotions in Thucydides’ history, and Hercules in Roman epic poetry.
Tūranga, TSB Space, Hapori, Community, Level 1
Sunday 19 May, 6.00-7.30pm
Free, but registration is required. Book your tickets via this link.
Refreshments will be available for purchase.
