Weight - (Canons) by Jeanette Winterson (Paperback)

About the Book

A strikingly original and profound slice of mythology from the award-winning author of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

Book Synopsis

Condemned to shoulder the world forever by the gods he dared defy, freedom seems unattainable to Atlas. But then he receives an unexpected visit from Heracles, the one man strong enough to share the burden . . .

Jeanette Winterson's retelling of the myth of Atlas and Heracles asks difficult and eternal questions about the nature of choice and coercion. Visionary and inventive, Weight turns the familiar on its head to show us ourselves in a new light.

The Myths series brings together some of the world's finest writers, each of whom has retold a myth in a contemporary and memorable way. Authors in the series include Karen Armstrong, Margaret Atwood, A.S. Byatt, David Grossman, Natsuo Kirino, Alexander McCall Smith, Philip Pullman, Ali Smith and Jeanette Winterson.

Review Quotes

Weight is a masterpiece . . . Rewrites and reconfirms what fiction is, was, and might become-- "Scotland on Sunday"

A masterpiece-- "Scotland on Sunday"

A touching meditation on the difficult journey to self-knowledge, and also extremely funny, communicating verve and wit-- "Guardian"

Alternatively earthy and mythopoetic, funny, meditative and personal . . . Winterson artfully illustrates the interplay of free will and destiny, desire and responsibility-- "Independent on Sunday"

Inspired by a Titan, [Winterson] begins appropriately on a titanic scale . . . bringing her musings home to the human scale-- "Sunday Times"

Playful, expansive and full of heart-- "The Times"

Profound and provocative-- "Daily Mail"

Transcendent . . . It's not the weight of her intellect that strikes you but its lightness, an unembarrassed vigour that seems to lead it along a tightrope of sanity-- "Herald"

Winterson's embrace of the mythic landscape is evident in her rich imagery . . . Dazzling-- "New York Times"

Winterson's precise prose explores issues of loneliness, responsibility and freedom with clarity and vision, offering the gift of seeing things afresh-- "The Good Book Guide"

About the Author

Jeanette Winterson's first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, won the Whitbread Prize for Best First Novel. Since then she has published many other novels, including The Passion, Written on the Body and The PowerBook, a collection of short stories, a book of essays, and children's picture books. She has adapted her work for TV, film and stage. Her books are published in 32 countries