The ''Canongate Myth Series'' is a series of

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...

s 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 Prize winning novel '' Life of Pi'' (2001 ...

, in which ancient

myth Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

s 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. T ...

, 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'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', 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 British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'', 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'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', 25 December 2005. with the tabloid '' Metro'' 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 ɐˈlʲeɡəvʲɪtɕ 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. Also, the first title in the series,

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

'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, '' Girl Meets Boy'' by Ali Smith, and '' Where Three Roads Meet'' by Salley Vickers. Installments in the series are also forthcoming from the authors A. S. Byatt,

Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe (; born Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as a central figure of modern African literature. His first novel ''Things Fall Apart'' ( ...

and Natsuo Kirino.

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'', and '' Under the Skin'' (2000) which was adapted for film by Jonathan Glazer, starring Scarlett ...

's contribution, '' The Fire Gospel'', was published in 2008. 2009 saw the publication of '' Baba Yaga Laid an Egg'' by Dubravka Ugrešić and '' The Hurricane Party'' by Klas Östergren. '' Orphans of Eldorado'' by Milton Hatoum and '' The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'' by

Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. He is best known for the fantasy trilogy ''His Dark Materials''. The first volume, ''Northern Lights'' (1995), won the Carnegie Medal

were published in 2010.

List of titles

References

External links

TheMyths.co.uk
Canongate Myths official site
The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120727140145/http://thegoodmanjesusandthescoundrelchrist.co.uk/ , date=27 July 2012 , official book page Parallel literature Novel series Canongate Books books Book series Book series introduced in 2005