Saturday, August 4, 2012

Not Your Childrens Greek Mythology

'Oh My Gods: A Modern Retelling of Greek and Roman Myths' by Philip FreemanWhile discussing the topic of written-for-children books (as opposed to books written without such a target audience that children like, anyway), C.S. Lewis wrote "it certainly is my opinion that a book worth reading only in childhood is not worth reading even then" [Into the Wardrobe]. In the same vein, while many of the stories told by the ancient Greek and Roman writers have an appeal to people of all ages, they weren't explicitly written for children. You wouldn't know it from most of the modern (and not so modern, like Nathaniel Hawthorne's Tanglewood Tales) editions of Greek mythology. Not so Oh My Gods!, by Philip Freeman. His interpretive version of the Greek gods and heroes' escapades are not toned down, making them a much needed 21st century retake on the timeless stories. Read my review: Review - 'Oh My Gods: A Modern Retelling of Greek and Roman Myths,' by Philip Freeman.

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