LONGLISTED FOR THE ANGLO-HELLENIC LEAGUE RUNCIMAN AWARD 2022 What do the Greek myths mean to us today? It's now a golden age for these tales - they crop up in novels, films and popular culture. But what's the modern relevance of Theseus, Hera and Pandora? Were these stories ever meant for children? And what's to be seen now at the places where heroes fought and gods once quarrelled? Peter Fiennes travels to the sites of some of the most famous Greek myths, on the trail of hope, beauty and a new way of seeing what we have done to our world. Fiennes walks through landscapes - stunning and spoiled - on the trail of dancing activists and Arcadian shepherds, finds the 'most beautiful beach in Greece', consults the Oracle, and loses himself in the cities, remote villages and ruins of this storied land. 'Peter Fiennes's road trip around Greece [is] engagingly described' Mary Beard, TLS 'Fiennes is a brilliant and generous guide through Greece' Observer 'A wonderful book by a wonderful writer.' Tom Holland 'A wonderful... really profound meditation on what it means to hope... a gorgeous excursion into Greece and across the centuries on an environmental quest' BBC Radio 4 Open Book BOOK OF THE YEAR choice by Anita Roy 'Immensely pleasurable...takes you on an adventure around Greece and the myths that the ancients told there. But what really stayed with me were the reflections on storytelling, joy, and hope. Essential for our pandemic and pollution ravaged times.' Helen Morales, author of Antigone Rising: The Subversive Power of the Ancient Myths
Peter Fiennes follows in the footsteps of twelve inspirational writers, bringing modern Britain into focus by peering through the lens of the past. The journey starts in Dorset, shaped by the childhood visions of Enid Blyton, and ends with Charles Dickens on the train that took him to his final resting place in Westminster Abbey. From the wilds of Skye and Snowdon, to a big night out in Birmingham with J. B. Priestley and Beryl Bainbridge, Footnotes is a series of evocative biographies, a lyrical foray into the past, and a quest to understand Britain through the books, journals and diaries of some of our greatest writers. And as Fiennes travels the country, and roams across the centuries, he wonders: 'Who are we? What do we want? They seemed like good questions to ask, in the company of some of our greatest writers, given these restless times.'
'I didn't really know that I'd been waiting for a more literary and stylish Bill Bryson to update Notes from a Small Island, but that's just what Footnotes is, and I loved it.' - THE OBSERVER
'Marvellously quotable...It's not the place, but the mind and spirit of the author that makes a guidebook special. ...Fiennes' literary journey makes for a provocative and engaging book.' FINANCIAL TIMES
Weekend travel feature & book credit, DAILY TELEGRAPH
'A series of illuminating walks around the British Isles' DISCOVER BRITAIN