How Did I Not Know This?

Margaret Atwood has a new book coming out in November. And it sounds very interesting:

"Homer's Odyssey is not the only version of the story. Mythic material was originally oral, and also local -- a myth would be told one way in one place and quite differently in another. I have drawn on material other than the Odyssey, especially for the details of Penelope's parentage, her early life and marriage, and the scandalous rumors circulating about her. I've chosen to give the telling of the story to Penelope and to the twelve hanged maids. What led to the hanging of the maids, and what was Penelope really up to?" -- from Margaret Atwood's Foreword to The Penelopiad

Apparently, this is part of a series of stories retelling popular myths. Another one of my favorite writers---Donna Tartt---is also scheduled to do one.

Happy, happy, happy day! One of my favorite topics---mythology/folklore---combined with some of my favorite writers! (I did a paper in college on the use of folk and fairy tales in Atwood and Morrison. I loved writing that paper.)

If you aren't reading Atwood's work, start. Now. Or right after you finish the Kozol book that I know you picked up yesterday.

Update: I've preordered the Atwood book and one by Karen Armstrong---A Short History of Myth---which is an introduction to the series. Of course, now I'm going to have to find a copy of Homer's Odyssey so I can reread it before I read the Atwood version.