There are so many sentences from the ancient texts that helped me understand what kind of character Clytemnestra was. And I think that, to really get into the mind and heart of your main character as a writer, you need to be obsessed with them, to think about them constantly.

I’ve always loved Clytemnestra, and I have been obsessed with her for years. Same thing with Penelope, whose intelligence and cunning really shine through.

He is a side character, but you have him down to a T. With that as our starting point, I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about how you went about getting into the minds and hearts of the characters of the book, in particular Clytemnestra, but also some of the side characters. I am personally a big fan of Clytemnestra, so I was very happy to see that here is an opportunity for her to tell her side of the story, and that it was done so well. It is a fantastic deep dive into the psyche of Clytemnestra, arguably one of the most vilified characters of Ancient Greek literature. First of all, I just want to say that I love your novel Clytemnestra. This week, at the urging of Erika Harlitz Kern, we’re pleased to add Costanza Casati’s Clytemnestra to our list of all-time favorite gifts from the Greek gods.Ĭalling it a “a great literary achievement that gives voice to characters who, due to their genders, have been vilified and silenced throughout the millennia,” Erika honored Clytemnestra with a starred review in Foreword’s January/February issue, and, true to form, Foreword This Week provided the venue for a splendid conversation.

Reviewer Erika Harlitz Kern Interviews Costanza Casati, Author of ClytemnestraĪncient Greek mythology haunts literature like a recurring dream, drifting in and out of countless works of writing over more than thirty centuries-the Bible, Roman tragedy, Viking saga, Shakespeare’s plays, James Joyce’s novels, Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad, only to name a few notables.

Clytemnestra casati