Sydney Writers Festival: The Gift of the Greek Myth with Kate Forsyth

What draws us back to Greek mythology time and again in contemporary fiction and beyond? Who are the goddesses obscured by Zeus’ shadow? And why are we supposed to beware of Greeks bearing gifts?

Beloved Australian historical fiction writer Kate Forsyth reimagines the enduring myth of Psyche and Eros in Psykhe from the perspective of the mortal woman at its centre.

Turn back the clock and settle in for some classics with Kate as she exhumes Greek mythology’s underappreciated women, in conversation with playwright Tom Wright.

Kate Forsyth

Dr Kate Forsyth is an award-winning author, poet and performance storyteller. Her novels include Psykhe, a retelling of the ancient Greek myth, The Crimson Thread, set in Crete during World War II and Bitter Greens, which won the 2013 ALA Award for Best Historical Fiction. She has also written Alchemy, an assemblage of art, poetry and creative reflections with painter Wendy Sharpe, and Long-Lost Fairy Tales, a collection of little-known folktales from around the world, illustrated by Lorena Carrington.

Tom Wright

Tom Wright is a theatre writer and literary reviewer. His plays, libretti and adaptations include The Lost Echo, The War of the Roses, Black Diggers, Antarctica, On The Misconception of Oedipus, Biografica, The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man and Picnic at Hanging Rock. He is regularly heard on ABC RN, particularly on The Bookshelf.