A delightful delve into the power of myths and super heroes to enrich storytelling. Lyndon Riggall explores the talents of R. A. Spratt in telling a good story!
I love a good myth. Whether it’s a retelling of The Odyssey by the likes of Emily Wilson and the upcoming film of Christopher Nolan that I can’t wait for, or Stephen Fry’s delightful compendiums Mythos, Heroes and Troy, I can’t get enough. There is something so soothing about diving back into the imaginations of the past, something that calls back to a time that we have almost forgotten and yet comforts us with a feeling that also connects us to now. We might like to pretend that the heroic figures of the Ancient Greeks and Romans are long in the past, but while we still read Batman comics and watch Marvel movies I don’t think they are ever really very far away.
Which is why I was delighted to pick up a copy of Epically Good Greek Myths by R. A. Spratt recently and encounter some of these wonderful stories all over again. Spratt is the Australian author of the Friday Barnes series, and when I was younger, I remember being particularly taken with her creation of Nanny Piggins. Going into this book without any kind of understanding of what I was in for, I was surprised to find that the chief narrator of the collection is Piggins herself, and even with the years in-between my first encounter with her and this one, I found that she had lost none of her charm, wit, intelligence, and enthusiasm for sweet treats that I still remembered. The stories are so accessible, and they smooth out some of the well-known rough edges that come with being first composed in a different time, but I also loved the self-insertion of Nanny Piggins’ own family history and her gender re-balancing. For those encountering these myths for the first time, the changes don’t dilute the stories in the slightest. For those returning, it’s all in good fun and charming to see how Spratt and Piggins subvert what we know and love. Myths, of course, are meant to grow with the time and the teller.
Following a trail of breadcrumbs to Spratt’s website, I also discovered that the same myths are shared in a podcast, Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt, in which the author recites them along with so many other brilliant stories she has written. I have loved listening to these tales in the last couple of weeks… they are perfect for car rides and long waits and settling down of an evening—and all available for free! Spratt was also at the Theatre Royal in Hobart last year sharing Christmas stories, and I am very sorry that I missed it. She strikes me as a hidden gem of a storyteller, and perhaps everyone will tell me that it is only me who has been blind to her wit, warmth and shining enthusiasm all these intervening years, while everyone else has been snacking away on them in private, like a pig sneaking chocolate cake in the middle of the night. Still, if nothing else, I will shout how much I enjoyed this collection from the rooftops, and I hope that some others will read this and note that the secret is out.
If Spratt and these stories have passed you by in the thousands of years from the “Ancient Greek history days” to now, here are just a couple of ways to enjoy them. There’s a reason that they have lasted. Have a read or listen and find out why.
Lyndon Riggall
Lyndon Riggall is a writer, teacher, and co-president of the Tamar Valley Writers Festival. He has written the picture books Becoming Ellie and Tamar the Thief. You can find out more about him at www.lyndonriggall.com or on social media @lyndonriggall.
