Overview

"""A writer to read and reread.""--The Economist Following the success of Aquarium which was a New York Times Editor's Choice and garnered numerous rave reviews, David Vann transports us to 13th century B.C. to give a nuanced and electric portrait of the life of one of ancient mythology's most fascinating and notorious women, Medea. In brilliant poetic prose Bright Air Black brings us aboard the ship Argo for its epic return journey across the Black Sea from Persia's Colchis--where Medea flees her home and father with Jason, the Argonauts, and the Golden Fleece. Vann's reimagining of this ancient tale offers a thrilling, realist alternative to the long held notions of Medea as monster or sorceress. We witness with dramatic urgency Medea's humanity, her Bronze Age roots and position in Greek society, her love affair with Jason, and her tragic demise. Atmospheric and spellbinding, Bright Air Black is an indispensable, fresh and provocative take on one of our earliest texts and the most intimate and corporal version of Medea's story ever told."

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9780802125804

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<b>Praise for <i>Bright Air Black</i></b> Incorporating both mesmerizing sentences and concentrated fragments . . . Sensual and violent, often simultaneously, Vann's novel evokes the primal force of women's power. --<i><b>Booklist</i></b>

Praise for Bright Air Black -Incorporating both mesmerizing sentences and concentrated fragments . . . Sensual and violent, often simultaneously, Vann's novel evokes the primal force of women's power.---Booklist -Vann peels back the layers of myth to depict the ruthless realities of Bronze Age existence. Medea is depicted as a protofeminist antiheroine who must rely on her wits to survive in a world of hostile and brutish men who will betray her . . . Insightful and poetic, dark and atmospheric.---Library Journal -Vann gives us a fresh slant on an early myth, an up-close and in-depth character study. From the outset, his drama unfolds in prose that is both atmospheric and electrifying . . . [A] stunning depiction of one of mythology's most complex characters . . . Its dark energy shocks us and shakes us, yet it is impossible to pull away.---The Australian -While Vann takes few risks with the myth itself, his genius lies in his ability to blow away all the elegance and toga-clad politeness that have grown like a crust around our idea of ancient Greece and to reveal the bare bones of the Archaic period in all their bloody, reeking nastiness. There is no magic. There are no gods. The shining city of Iolcus is a glorified pigsty on a hill.---The Times (UK)

Praise for Bright Air Black Incorporating both mesmerizing sentences and concentrated fragments . . . Sensual and violent, often simultaneously, Vann's novel evokes the primal force of women's power. --Booklist

Author Information

Published in 20 languages, David Vann's internationally-bestselling books have won 15 prizes, including best foreign novel in France and Spain, and appeared on 75 Best Books of the Year lists in a dozen countries. A former Guggenheim fellow, he is currently a Professor at the University of Warwick in England and Honorary Professor at the University of Franche-Comté in France.

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