Priya Sharma's Blog, page 5

IZ Digital reviews Pomegranates

Some recent retellings of Greek myths have sought to restore the female voice that the original sources – and some other modern retellings – have neglected or deliberately devalued. But Pomegranates does not quite fit with Pat Barker’s take on the Iliad, The Silence of the Girls, nor with Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad or Madeline Miller’s Circe – not because it is a lesser work, but because it is doing something slightly different. In its fearless, energetic combination of myth and reali...

Interview with the British Fantasy Society

Thanks to Shona Kinsella, Chair of the BFS, for inviting me to join an online day of readings, interviews, and discussion.

More info can be found here.

SFBook review of Pomegranates

Classic fantasy re-imagines the wonder and magic of myth and legend, but often avoids the meaning behind the ancient stories. The cultures that lurk behind the hubris of Gods and Goddesses are often more important than the stories themselves. Sharma’s reinvention of a classic narrative into a comment on the assumptions and excuses made by re-tellers of those myths and by the audiences that heard them offers something new.

Allen Stroud for SFBook

My thanks to Allen Stroud, and also Antony Jam...

Review of Pomegranates

A few years ago I had the pleasure of reading Priya Sharma’s Ormeshadow, a dark story about family secrets. So when she asked me to read Pomegranates, I didn’t even hesitate. This time, the author has written a dystopian tale that weaves together themes of global warming and climate change with well known characters from Greek mythology. This was such a surprising story, beautifully constructed and written, and I can’t recommend it highly enough, especially if you are a fan of the Greek god...

Contemporary Gothic Reading Group 2023

The Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies runs a regular Contemporary Gothic Reading Group.

This year there will be four sessions, each online, ticketed, and free to attend.

I am very excited that my short story collection in one of the four books featured.

Tickets are available from eventbrite. The session should last approximately 90 minutes.

Our first session will take place on the 31st of May, when we will discuss Priya Sharma’s award-winning collection of short stories ...

Locus Review of Pomegranates

Priya Sharma’s latest novella, Pomegran­ates, is a lovely, layered, and luscious retelling of the story of Persephone and Demeter, unfolding against the backdrop of climate change and patriarchal violence. While Greek mythology has been in vogue at least since the success of Rick Riordan’s bestselling Percy Jackson books, Sharma’s novella sits closer to books like Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad, Madeline Miller’s Circe, or Natsuo Kirino’s The Goddess Chronicle, all of which employ a detached,...

The Art of Ravi Amar Zupa

Ravi Zupa considers books the best way to experience art. He has spent decades studying books about the art, mythology, religion, and history of cultures from across geography and time. Entirely self-taught, Zupa looks to works by German Renaissance printmakers, Flemish primitives, abstract expressionists, Japanese woodblock artists, and Mughal painters for inspiration. He also frequently incorporates religious iconography from Europe, Asia, and Pre-Columbi...

Hypnos Edition 14

Tra case infestate e famiglie terribili, ecco il nuovo numero della rivista Hypnos, che si apre con Il vitreo ardente fondo dell’Inferno di Brian Evenson, e che prosegue con i racconti Cambiano le prospettive al mondo di Carlo Salvoni, Molte altre terre di Helen Simpson, Berryhill del pirotecnico R.A. Lafferty e due storie di Federigo Tozzi, Un’allucinazione e La vinaia.

Il numero si completa con il breve saggio Quando parliamo di fantastico, di Cristiano Demicheli, e con un’intervista a...

Locus magazine review

Review of Pomegranates for Locus magazine.

“While a part of me wishes that there was more to this world and for the tale to go on, another part of me is astounded by Sharma’s ability to hint at so much with so few words. Deliciously evocative, carefully constructed, and filled with just enough detail to keep the reader turning the page. Pomegranates is a book which can be finished in a single sitting, but deserves to be savoured more slowly. It will appeal not only to fans of feminist retelling o...

Locus magazine’s 2022 Recommended Reading List

Thanks to anyone who suggested that “Pomegranates”, my new novella from PS Publishing, be included on Locus magazine’s 2022 Recommended Reading List.

Thanks also to editor Marie O’Regan and to PS Publishing.

“Pomegranates” is available in hardback and as an ebook here.