Weight
- 7 Jun 2018
- 9781786892492
- £9.99
- 176 pp
- 129×198mm
- 8 Jun 2012
- 9780857865694
- £17.99
- 2 hrs 22 min
- 4 Jun 2009
- 9781847676504
- £7.99
- 176 pp
In a few words
A strikingly original and profound slice of mythology from the award-winning author of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
In a few words
The Myth of Atlas and Heracles retold and performed unabridged
In a few words
A strikingly original and profound slice of mythology from the award-winning author of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
Playful, expansive and full of heart
A touching meditation on the difficult journey to self-knowledge, and also extremely funny, communicating verve and wit
...alternatively earthy and mythopoetic, funny, meditative and personal...Winterson's Atlas is a very personable narrator, poetic and contemplative...Winterson artfully illustrates the interplay of free will and destiny, desire and responsibility. She retells a resonant old story beautifully.
It's a quick read with Winterson in light and accessible mode, and the autobiographical passages dealing with how the legend has relevance to her own life fit neatly alongside the retelling.
Playful, expansive and full of heart
A touching meditation on the difficult journey to self-knowledge, and also extremely funny, communicating verve and wit
More about
the book
Condemned to shoulder the world forever by the gods he dared defy, freedom seems unattainable to Atlas. But then he receives an unexpected visit from Heracles, the one man strong enough to share the burden . . .
Jeanette Winterson’s retelling of the myth of Atlas and Heracles asks difficult and eternal questions about the nature of choice and coercion. Visionary and inventive, Weight turns the familiar on its head to show us ourselves in a new light.
The Myths series brings together some of the world’s finest writers, each of whom has retold a myth in a contemporary and memorable way. Authors in the series include Karen Armstrong, Margaret Atwood, A.S. Byatt, David Grossman, Natsuo Kirino, Alexander McCall Smith, Philip Pullman, Ali Smith and Jeanette Winterson.
More about
the book
Condemned to shoulder the world “for ever” by the gods he dared defy, freedom seems unattainable to Atlas.
But then he receives an unexpected visit from Heracles, the one man strong enough to share the burden, and it seems they can strike a bargain that might release him …
Jeanette Winterson asks difficult questions about the nature of choice and coercion in her dazzling retelling of the myth of Atlas and Heracles.
Visionary and inventive, believable and intimate, Weight turns the familiar on its head to show us ourselves in a new light.
More about
the book
Condemned to shoulder the world forever by the gods he dared defy, freedom seems unattainable to Atlas. But then he receives an unexpected visit from Heracles, the one man strong enough to share the burden . . .
Jeanette Winterson’s retelling of the myth of Atlas and Heracles asks difficult and eternal questions about the nature of choice and coercion. Visionary and inventive, Weight turns the familiar on its head to show us ourselves in a new light.
Profound and provocative
Inspired by a Titan, [Winterson] begins appropriately on a titanic scale . . . bringing her musings home to the human scale
Winterson's embrace of the mythic landscape is evident in her rich imagery . . . Dazzling
A masterpiece
Weight is a masterpiece. As one of the inaugural volumes of the innovative Canongate myths series, it rewrites and reconfirms what fiction is, was, and might become.
Winterson's precise prose explores issues of loneliness, responsibility and freedom with clarity and vision, offering the gift of seeing things afresh.
Profound and provocative
Inspired by a Titan, [Winterson] begins appropriately on a titanic scale . . . bringing her musings home to the human scale
Winterson's embrace of the mythic landscape is evident in her rich imagery . . . Dazzling
A masterpiece
Jeanette Winterson
View profileJeanette Winterson’s first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, won the Whitbread Prize for Best First Novel. Since then she has published many other novels, including The Passion, Written on the Body and The PowerBook, a collection of short stories, a book of essays, and children’s picture books. She has adapted her work for TV, film and stage. Her books are published in 32 countries.
Jeanette Winterson
View profileJeanette Winterson’s first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit won the Whitbread prize for Best First Novel. Since then she has published seven other novels, including The Passion, Written on the Body and The PowerBook, a collection of short stories, The World and Other Places, a book of essays, Art Objects and most recently a children’s picture book, The King of Capri. She has adapted her work for TV, film and stage. Her books are published in 32 countries. She lives in Oxfordshire and London.
Jeanette Winterson
View profileJeanette Winterson’s first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, won the Whitbread Prize for Best First Novel. Since then she has published many other novels, including The Passion, Written on the Body and The PowerBook, a collection of short stories, a book of essays, and children’s picture books. She has adapted her work for TV, film and stage. Her books are published in 32 countries.
