1. Do you think that the retelling of Greek and other myths is important or relevant for the children of today? Why should they care about some “dry old stories” which come from ancient cultures they might never even have heard of?
I think it’s vital for children to have these stories told to them. I’m terrified that there’s a generation growing up which doesn’t have the whole spread of culture laid out for them to feast on, as it were. I’m distressed about things like nursery rhymes ceasing to be common currency and about the only vision of fairy tales being the Disneyfied one. Myths are part of who we are and how we became what we are and anything that keeps them alive has to be a good thing.
2. What age were you when you came across your first myth or myths? Tell us how you felt then about the myths you first discovered. Did you love them or hate them? Did they scare you, excite you—or were you indifferent? What kind of myths were they? Greek? Norse? Native American? Celtic? Or from another culture entirely? Were they in a book you read? Or did you hear them as oral storytelling from someone else?
I think I was 6 years old. My dad bought me a book which I still have called Tales of Troy by Andrew Lang, whose variously-coloured Fairy Books I also had, I think. But T of T really struck a chord with me. I adored the stories and had long passages by heart very quickly, which I was given to reciting at the drop of a hat. The scarier the stories were, the better I liked them. Also fond of love….so the whole Paris/Helen thing appealed to me enormously. But should just say here that Celtic, Norse etc myths were never part of my childhood. I only came across these later and for that reason they are not nearly as important to me and I only know them very sketchily.
3. Looking back, what is your favourite myth of all time, from any culture? And why would you choose it?
I like Pandora’s Box. Or the Dragon’s teeth…that was a good one. No, I’ll plump for Pandora’s Box, I think. Though I don’t like having to choose, I must admit.
4. Who is your most hated mythical hero or heroine, and what made you feel that way about them?
I have to confess to being a little bored by Heracles. Those Augean stables seemed to me a bit too much like housework writ large and muscle doesn’t do much for me in general.
5. Is there a mythical beast you are particularly fond of? If so, which one?
The owl of Minerva! And I’m quite fond of Medusa too….
6. How have myths had an influence on your writing, if at all?
They’ve had an enormous influence as three of my books have Greek gods and goddesses as characters. Troy, Ithaka and Dido. I’m not a religious person in any way, but find myself almost believing in this lot! When there’s an earthquake etc I always think of Poseidon. I once wrote a short story about him travelling on a Eurostar train, and being most offended at mere mortals tunneling under HIS Channel!
7. If you could choose to be the demigod child of any one mythical god or goddess, which one would it be? Which power would you like to inherit from them—and what would you do with it?
Pallas Athene. I ‘d like very much to be wise. And also elegant. I think of Athene as very elegant indeed.
More about Adèle:
Adèle Geras was born in Jerusalem in 1944. She studied Modern Languages at St Hilda’s College, Oxford and has been an actress and singer and a teacher of French. For the last 34 years, she’s been a full time writer and has published more than 90 books for children as well as four novels for adults. She lives in Manchester with her husband and they have two daughters and three grandchildren.
Her website is HERE and Adèle also blogs occasionally at An Awfully Big Blog Adventure.
