Hesiod’s Theogony and more April reads

My April reads, in one handy place. *smiles, waves, blows kisses*

April reads: Ancient Greece

The Town Mouse and the The Spartan House by Terry Deary

I found this chapter book in the Athen’s airport in March. The concept intrigued me: It’s one in a series of children’s books based on Aesopic Fables and set in ancient Greece. I’ve mentioned before that Aesop’s Fables was one of my favorite books to be read to as a child. To fill out the narrative, Deary sets the story during the Peloponnesian War. An Athenian mouse ends up in Sparta and contrives how to stay alive and get home.

I remember “The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse” as one of the more memorable tales of my childhood: In the fable, the big city’s wealth of options attracts a country mouse, but the mouse hadn’t factored for the added stressors and challenges. As a kid, the story inspired me. It reminded me of the Biblical commandment not to covet, but from another angle: What we think we want may not be everything we expect, so be happy with the life you have. I’d say it resonates with our times. What do you think?

The Hidden Oracle (Trials of Apollo #1) by Rick Riordan

I reread this in anticipation of book three’s May 2 release. The series follows the god Apollo, who Zeus has sent to earth as a mortal teen as punishment for Apollo’s role in the Titan war. Apollo does not take well to being mortalized. A 12-year-old demigod called Meg rescues him from a band of baddies in Manhattan. In the first installment, Apollo discovers that none of his Oracles are working. He trains with the demigods of Camp Half-Blood, including his children. He goes on a dangerous question to recover one of his Oracles. He grows in his understanding of humanity. He learns to question his godly behavior and tries to overcome his godly arrogance. It’s a fun, typical Riordan installment.

On the narrative side, Apollo serves as the series’ first person, often unreliable, narrator, which works well. It keeps the story brisk and clean. Each chapter begins with a haiku (Apollo is the god of poetry), some of which are laugh-out-loud silly. I reread the rest of the series at the beginning of May and must now wait 11.5 months for the next installment.

The Trojan Women and Helen by Euripides, translated by Emily Wilson in The Greek Plays, edited by Mary Lefkowitz and James Romm

I reread these for a book club. This read, I noticed how political Euripides’ tragedies were. The play’s themes can resonate in any time, so it’s easy to miss how engaged they are with the issues of 5th century Athens. I’ve written more about the plays here.

Theogony and Works and Days by Hesiod, translated by Barry B. Powell

I have been meaning to read this for ages. With Homer, it’s the earliest extant source we have for Greek mythology. Theogony is a genealogy of the gods and goddesses. Initially, they were forces of nature: Sky, Ocean, Earth, Eros/Love, etc. They were overthrown by the Titans, who were overthrown by the Olympians (the big 12: Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, etc.). Works and Days is basically Hesiod explaining to his brother why he needs to get off his lazy butt and work.

It is exceedingly interesting to read how the early gods were conceptualized and how they evolved. For example, Athena is often referred to as the goddess who has no mother, but that is not quite accurate. Zeus swallowed her mother, Metis, while she was pregnant with Athena. He gestated Athena, but only because he absorbed her pregnant mother. That seems like an important detail, no?

On the other hand, Aphrodite does not seem to have had a mother. She is born from Sky’s severed genitals, which are chopped off by while Sky is having sex: Drops of Sky’s blood fall into the ocean (which, when it’s Ocean with a capital “O,” is male) and create a foam out of which Aphrodite emerges. The drops of Sky’s blood that fall on the earth spawn the Erinyes (aka Furies), linking sex and vengeance. On a related note, Eros is one of the original and, according to Hesiod,  most powerful gods. In later versions of the myth, he’s conceived as the naughty son of Aphrodite—quite a shift!

The Odyssey by Homer, translated by E. V. Rieu

This is a highly readable prose translation. It’s engaging. The language is not fussy. It’s not the most artful, especially as compared to Wilson’s, but if you want to get into the plot or are new to The Odyssey, this is a great place to start.

April reads: The rest

The Metropolitans by Carol Goodman

I walked by this book at Barnes and Noble’s middle grade fiction table several times. Eventually, my resistance wore down, and it came home with me. It’s set during World War II and takes place inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Four children, each of whom is struggling for different reasons, come together to save the city. I gobbled it up in a day and a half.

My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor

I read this for a work project. It’s not a book I would have read had it not been assigned to me. It surprised me by being engaging, ha. As a native New Yorker, I appreciated seeing the city through Sotomayor’s eyes. And her experiences as a prosecutor in the DA’s Office make for gripping reading. One fun aside for me: As a child, she was given a book about Greeks myths, gods, and heroes and loved it.

What have you been reading lately? Have you started thinking about your summer reads?