The ''Canongate Myth Series'' is a series of novellas published by the independent Scottish publisher

Canongate Books Canongate Books (trading as Canongate) is an independent publishing firm based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is named after the Canongate area of the city. It is most recognised for publishing the Booker Prizewinner '' Life of Pi''. Canongate wa ...

, in which ancient myths from various cultures are reimagined and rewritten. The project was conceived in 1999 by

Jamie Byng James Edmund Byng (born 27 June 1969) is a British publisher. He works for the independent publishing firm Canongate Books, where he is the CEO and publisher. Early life Byng grew up in the village of Abbots Worthy in Hampshire, England.

, owner of Canongate, and the first three titles in the series were published on 21 October 2005."World's top writers recruited to rewrite ancient tales"
CBC.ca, 21 October 2005. Though the initial novellas received mixed-to-positive reviews,Alexander, Caroline

''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', 11 December 2005. the project was heralded by many in the press as "bold" and "ambitious","'Free will is like falling off a roof'"
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'', 19 March 2006.Hand, Elizabeth.
"The New Muses: A highly anticipated series of classic myths re-imagined by modern authors"
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', 25 December 2005. with the tabloid ''

Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...

'' calling it "one of the most ambitious acts of mass storytelling in recent years". Canongate Myth Series
official site The series is intended to have an international focus, with contributing authors that have included Russian writer

Victor Pelevin Victor Olegovich Pelevin ( rus, Виктор Олегович Пелевин, p=ˈvʲiktər ɐˈlʲɛɡəvʲɪtɕ pʲɪˈlʲevʲɪn; born 22 November 1962) is a Russian fiction writer. His novels include ''Omon Ra'' (1992), ''The Life of Insects ...

and Israeli author

David Grossman David Grossman ( he, דויד גרוסמן; born January 25, 1954) is an Israeli author. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages. In 2018, he was awarded the Israel Prize for literature. Biography David Grossman was born i ...

. Also, the first title in the series,

Karen Armstrong Karen Armstrong (born 14 November 1944) is a British author and commentator of Irish Catholic descent known for her books on comparative religion. A former Roman Catholic religious sister, she went from a conservative to a more liberal and ...

's '' A Short History of Myth'', was published the same day in 33 countries and 28 languages, in what ''

'' called "the biggest simultaneous publication ever". As of 2008, nine books have been published in the series, with Byng hoping to eventually publish 100. Three titles were published in the United Kingdom on 1 November 2007: '' Binu and the Great Wall'' by

Su Tong Tong Zhonggui (; born January 23, 1963), known by the pen name of Su Tong () is a Chinese writer. He was born in Suzhou and lives in Nanjing. He entered the Department of Chinese at Beijing Normal University in 1980, and started to publish nove ...

, ''

Girl Meets Boy ''Girl Meets Boy'' is a 2007 novel by Scottish author Ali Smith and published by Canongate in the Canongate Myth Series. It was one of the "best books of 2007" according to critics at ''The Independent''. Plot A modern-day reinterpretation of O ...

'' by

Ali Smith Ali Smith CBE FRSL (born 24 August 1962) is a Scottish author, playwright, academic and journalist. Sebastian Barry described her in 2016 as "Scotland's Nobel laureate-in-waiting". Early life and education Smith was born in Inverness on 24 ...

, and ''

Where Three Roads Meet ''Where Three Roads Meet'' is a book of three metafictional novellas by American writer John Barth John Simmons Barth (; born May 27, 1930) is an American writer who is best known for his postmodern and metafictional fiction. His most highly ...

'' by Salley Vickers. Installments in the series are also forthcoming from the authors A. S. Byatt,

Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe (; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as the dominant figure of modern African literature. His first novel and '' magnum opus'', ''Things Fall Apart'' (1958), occupies ...

and Natsuo Kirino.FT.com / Arts & weekend / Books – Myth understood
/ref>

Michel Faber Michel Faber (born 13 April 1960) is a Dutch-born writer of English-language fiction, including his 2002 novel ''The Crimson Petal and the White''. His latest book is a novel for young adults, ''D—A Tale of Two Worlds, D: A Tale of Two Worlds'' ...

's contribution, ''

The Fire Gospel ''The Fire Gospel'' is a 2008 novel by Michel Faber published by Canongate Books in its Myth Series. Summary ''The Fire Gospel'' is a reinterpretation of the myth of Prometheus that broadly satirises the publishing industry. The plot centre ...

'', was published in 2008. 2009 saw the publication of '' Baba Yaga Laid an Egg'' by Dubravka Ugrešić and '' The Hurricane Party'' by

Klas Östergren Klas Östergren (born 20 February 1955) is a Swedish novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and translator. Östergren had a breakthrough with his fourth novel '' Gentlemen'' in 1980. He has been awarded numerous Swedish literary prizes, ...

. '' Orphans of Eldorado'' by Milton Hatoum and ''

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ ''The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'' is a novel by Philip Pullman. Published in 2010 by Canongate Books, as part of the Canongate Myth Series, it retells the story of Jesus as if he were two people, brothers, "Jesus" and "Christ," w ...

'' by

Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy '' His Dark Materials'' and '' The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'', a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, ''T ...

were published in 2010.

List of titles

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

TheMyths.co.uk
Canongate Myths official site
The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ
official book page Parallel literature Novel series Canongate Books books Series of books Book series introduced in 2005