CONF: Two events on Ancient Myth, British Academy

Seen on the Classicists list

Ancient Greek Myth and Modern Conflict in World Fiction since 1989

Thursday & Friday, 5 & 6 July 2012
The British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AH

This unprecedented conference will bring together a global team of
practising novelists and scholars to discuss the importance of ancient Greek
myths in the recent fictional narration of war. Novels from every continent
will be discussed, including works by Maori, Chinese, African, Brazilian and
Japanese authors. The conference will ask whether it is the very
difficulties involved in addressing
large-scale trauma that have elicited this new ‘mythical turn’ in the
medium; it will also explore the tensions involved in the use of canonical
ancient Greek texts central to the western ‘colonial’ curriculum in
selfconsciously anticolonial and postcolonial writing.

Convenor:
Professor Edith Hall, King’s College London, Classics

Timings:
9.30am-4.30pm, Thursday, 5 July 2012
9.30am-6.00pm, Friday, 6 July 2012

Fees:
Please note that there is a fee for this event:
£50 Standard fee
£25 Discounted rate for students, unemployed and retired delegates.

Places are limited and registration is essential. Please click here for a
copy of the programme and to register or visit our website:
www.britac.ac.uk/events.

Performance Event: Ancient Myth and the Modern Novel

5.00pm-7.30pm, followed by a reception
Thursday, 5 July 2012
The British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AH

This public event features talks by Tom Holland, a prominent author of both
history and fiction, including Persian Fire, Rubicon and Sleeper in the
Sand. He is also the presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Making History. The other
speakers who will discuss the uses of Greek myth in fictional evocations of
modern conflict will include the Serbian Aleksandar Gatalica, whose Death of
Euripides addresses the tragic 20th-century history of eastern Europe.

The professional performance ensemble Live Canon and Friends will then
deliver selected highlights from novels by writers from all over the
worldwho have used ancient Greek myths in witnessing modern history,
including Salman Rushdie, Jonathan Littell, and Elizabeth Cook.

Attendance to the performance event only is free but places are limited and
regisration is essential. Please click here to register or visit our
website: www.britac.ac.uk/events. Please note that attendees for the
conference must register separately for the evening event.