Lyon ponders sequel to The Golden Mean
The Greek philosopher's daughter seen as protagonist
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 | 5:10 PM ET
The Canadian Press
Related
Internal Links
Annabel Lyon, shown with her book The Golden Mean on Nov. 10 in Toronto, won the Writers' Trust Award for the work, written in the voice of Aristotle. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)Annabel Lyon's lauded literary journey into Aristotle's life may not be over.
The B.C. author, who won the $25,000 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize on Tuesday for The Golden Mean, says she already has a plan for a sequel.
The Golden Mean, written in the voice of Aristotle, relates his effort to tutor the young Alexander the Great, a teenager more fond of war and action than the balance counselled by the Greek philosopher.
The follow-up to her hit novel hasn't been started and is likely "years away," Lyon says. But if she does write it, she would likely set it at the end of Aristotle's life and write from the point of view of his daughter, Pythias, when she was about 16.
"I've done the man's world and I feel like that would be a chance to do the women's world," Lyon, who lives in New Westminster, B.C., said in an interview at the Writers' Trust awards.
"That same world but from the women's point of view, bringing in a lot more of the mythology and the religion that we associate with the ancient Greeks that Aristotle deliberately turned away from, being the great rationalist that he was."
The Golden Mean was also nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Governor General's Literary Award.
An afterword in the novel includes Aristotle's actual will in which he writes that when Pythias "shall be grown up she shall be given in marriage to Nicanor," who Lyon said was her cousin. At the time the will was written, Pythias was just four.
Aristotle's will makes it seem as if he was "so concerned for her, so concerned that she be taken care of," added the author, who studied philosophy and creative writing in school.
"But then, from our perspective looking back, it's so brutal that he's picking someone for her. And what were her opinions about it?"
Lyon said "nothing is known" about Pythias beyond what's written in Aristotle's will.
She presumes Pythias came from a good gene pool and was bright, "but she may not have been literate," she said. "Women at the time weren't normally educated.
"And of course, after his death she's just gone from the historical record — nobody knows anything about her — so she's interesting to me."
Share Tools
Horror tale Haunting Melissa targets app audiences by Jessica Wong May. 16, 2013 4:40 PM If you're seeking the weather, the news or a pic of what your buddy had for lunch, there are apps for that. What about an original, Hollywood-calibre ghost story from a producer of The Ring and Mulholland Drive? Now, there's an app for that, too. Haunting Melissa ventures into the burgeoning realm of digital storytelling as a traditional ghost story with a modern twist -- namely a tale that unfolds through an iOS app.
Top News Headlines
- Ford ally says mayor told to limit comments on alleged crack video
- Legal advice may be behind Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's decision to stay silent in the wake of allegations he was recorded smoking what appears to be crack cocaine. more »
- Oklahoma residents begin to return home after deadly tornado
- Rescue workers raced to complete the search for survivors and the dead in the Oklahoma City suburb where a mammoth tornado destroyed countless homes, cleared lots down to bare red earth and claimed 24 lives, including those of nine children. more »
- Wednesdays with @Kady: Senate expenses questions continue
- As Ottawa waits to see whether Prime Minister Stephen Harper takes questions on the Senate expenses scandal in Peru this afternoon, CBC Politics blogger Kady O'Malley is available to answer your questions on the latest controversial developments. more »
- 'You will see him again in heaven,' Sharlene Bosma tells daughter
- Sharlene Bosma told more than 1,000 people at the public memorial service for her slain husband, Tim Bosma, about the love they shared. more »
Must Watch
Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines
- Jim Henson's puppets donated to NY museum
- Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, the kooky Fraggle Rock crew, Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie as well as other puppets from Jim Henson's influential career are moving to a new home in Queens, N.Y. more »
- Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart crack jokes about Rob Ford
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's woes over crack cocaine allegations are providing plenty of late-night TV fodder for Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart and other comedians south of the border. more »
- Ai Weiwei uses music to mock state power in China
- Emotionless prison guards watch Ai Weiwei eat, sleep, pace, shower and even sit on the toilet in the Chinese artist's new obscenity-filled, metaphor-rich music video mocking state power. more »
- Battle of the Blades back in CBC fall-winter lineup
- CBC-TV has released a fall lineup that includes the return of Battle of the Blades and new international co-production Crossing Lines. more »
Q Blog
Dan Brown's bizarre rituals May. 22, 2013 11:03 AM The author discusses his new novel, Inferno, and the ritual he performs when launching another book.
CBC Books
Juvenile inmates benefiting from Russian literature May. 22, 2013 1:57 PM A juvenile correctional facility in Virginia has seen the behavioural benefits of encouraging their inmates to read the works of classic Russian writers like Tolstoy and Dostoevsky.
- 'You will see him again in heaven,' Sharlene Bosma tells daughter
- Video forensics: How easy would it be to fake a Rob Ford video?
- Over 1 million Montrealers face boil water advisory
- Man shot dead during FBI interview for Boston bombing probe
- Jodi Arias asks for 'second chance' during jail interview
- Hamilton police make 2nd arrest in Tim Bosma slaying
- Plumber's car explodes near Vancouver apartments
- Oklahoma residents begin to return home after deadly tornado
- Children's mouths allegedly taped shut at N.S. school


