Ancient Greece

In her talk, Emily will return to one of the oldest stories of Greek myth – the Trojan War – and ask what happens when we look at the story from the point of view of the women. Revealing a new side to the tales of legendary women from Helen of Troy to the Amazons, she takes a new look at the history behind the myth to uncover the "real" women of the Bronze Age.

Bringing myth and history together, Emily will explore what historical fiction can do for us in re-imagining the stories and the voices of the women of ancient Greek myth. Combining both her expertise as an ancient historian and her creative voice as an author, this will be an account of ancient women that spans thousands of years, and examines some of the oldest and best-loved Greek myths through new eyes.

Emily Hauser is an award-winning classicist and ancient historian at the University of Exeter, and the author of the acclaimed Golden Apple trilogy (For the Most Beautiful (2016), For the Winner (2017), For the Immortal (2018); all Penguin Random House) retelling the stories of the women of Greek myth. She has been featured on BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour and The Guardian alongside Colm Tóibín and Natalie Haynes, and her debut novel For the Most Beautiful was listed among the "28 Best Books for Summer" in The Telegraph. Her next trade non-fiction book, Mythica, on the real women behind Greek myth, is coming out with Penguin Random House in April 2025.