Dogs and Monsters

Dogs And Monsters is a marvel of a collection that illuminates a number of species, both real and mythical, including our own. Mark Haddon weaves ancient fables into fresh and unexpected forms, and forges new legends to sit alongside them. The myth of the Minotaur in his labyrinth is turned into a wrenching parable of maternal love, and Actaeon becomes a visceral metaphor about how humans use and misuse animals. Haddon showcases how we are subject to the same elemental forces that obsessed the Greeks, and his powers of observation are at their height when illuminating the thin line between human and animal.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 29 August 2024
Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Mark Haddon's Dogs And Monsters is a marvel of a collection. Kaliane Bradley, author of The Ministry of Time, describes it as "a consummate story teller ... the brilliantly conceived Dogs And Monsters illuminates a number of species, both real and mythical, including our own." The New York Times calls it "nothing more terrifying than the monster that squats behind the door you dare not open." From the bestselling author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time comes eight mesmerizing stories exploring care, genetics, how we treat animals, and how we treat other people. Mark Haddon weaves ancient fables into fresh and unexpected forms, and forges new legends to sit alongside them. The myth of the Minotaur in his labyrinth is turned into a wrenching parable of maternal love and the monstrosities of patriarchy. The lover of a goddess, Tithonus, is gifted eternal life but without eternal youth. Actaeon, changed into a stag after glimpsing the naked Diana and torn to pieces by his hunting dogs, becomes a visceral metaphor about how humans use and misuse animals. From genetic engineering to the eternal complications of family, Haddon showcases how we are subject to the same elemental forces that obsessed the Greeks. Whether describing Laika the Soviet space dog on her fateful orbit or St Anthony wrestling with loneliness in the desert, his astonishing powers of observation are at their height when illuminating the thin line between human and animal. In sentences as precisely cut as paper sculptures, Mark Haddon fits ancient myth to the cruelties and wonders of the present. Francis Spufford, author of Cahokia Jazz, calls it "a marvel of a collection."

Weight: 486g
Dimension: 162 x 242 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781784745554