From My Fantasy Writing Desk
Ovid & Homer in the Hands of a Comedian Classicist
In this time-of-hope-but-still-isolated, here are some pleasurable entertainments by Natalie Haynes for those who love mythology and the classics. At the start of this plague year, Haynes, a classicist and stand-up comedian, asked herself, “What could I do to make myself feel better?” Her answer was unconventional, “Perhaps if I just translate these 21 poems of Ovid and make videos about them, everything will be alright.” The result was “Ovid not Covid,” a show that takes viewers through Ovid’s Heroides. These are poems composed as love letters from the great mythological heroines.
In addition, she is the author of A Thousand Ships, a Troy book told from the perspective of the women. Since my Trojan novel Hand of Fire came out in 2014, there’s been a resurgence of excellent books set within this iconic war.
Natalie Haynes has also produced six seasons of a BBC radio show, “Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics.” So, she provides quite the feast of classically themed fun.
Click here for the New Statesman “Natalie Haynes on how classics can help us survive lockdown.”