The Beloved of the Dawn

Four classical Greek myths retold with unexpected twists by an East German dissident. Franz Fhmanns subversive retellings of four Greek legends were first published in East Germany in 1980. In them, Fhmann plumbs the ancient tales depths and makes them his own. Attuned to conflict and paradox, he sheds light on the complexities of sex and love, art and beauty, politics and power. In the title story, the love of the goddess Eos for the mortal Tithonos reveals the blessing and curse of transience, while Hera and Zeus probes the divine couples tumultuous relationship and its devastating consequences for a world embroiled in war. Fhmanns unflinching account of Marsyas flaying by Apollo has been widely read as a dissident political statement that has lost none of its incisive force. At times charged with sensuality, and at others honed to a keen analytical edge, Fhmanns shimmering prose is matched by Sunandini Banerjees exquisite collages.