On March 16, British comedian, historian, classicist, broadcaster and author, Natalie Haynes will visit the Kitchener Public Library as part of her No Friend to This House book tour. Known for blending her sharp humour with classical Greek mythology, Haynes has quickly become a prominent authorwithin the growing genre of feminist Greek myth retellings. Her work includes fiction, non-fiction and broadcast media that offer different perspectives on ancient stories that have long been shaped by male-centered narratives.
Here is a guide on what to read before Haynes comes to Kitchener next month.
A Thousand Ships (2019)
Natalie Haynes first gained widespread attention for her fiction with A Thousand Ships (2019), which is a feminist retelling of the Trojan War told entirely through the voices of the women.
Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2020, this novel shifts the focus from the battlefield to the aftermath of the war. It centers queens, captives and goddesses whose lives are shaped by this conflict they did not choose. The novel has a polyphonic structure, which emphasizes the idea that no single voice can fully capture the cost of a war.
Stone Blind: Medusa’s Story (2022)
Haynes continued this approach with Stone Blind (2022), which revisits the myth of Medusa. The novel reframes Medusa’s story while highlighting themes like blame, beauty and power. It reflects Haynes’s broader interest of exposing how myths have historically been structured by and centered on men,and constantly retold in ways that often obscure women’s stories.
No Friend to this House (2025)
Her latest book, No Friend to this House (2025), retells the Myth of Medea. While the official North American release date is March 10, Haynes’s appearance in Kitchener only six days later will highlight this work.
In addition to fiction, Haynes is the author of several acclaimed non-fiction works. The Ancient Guide to Modern Life (2010) blends Haynes’s dry humour with her classic scholarship, as she draws comparisons between ancient societies and modern society. In Pandora’s Jar (2020), Haynes examines howmortal women in mythology have been misunderstood and flattened over time, while its companion novel Divine Might (2023) explores this same concept with Greek goddesses.
Haynes’s earlier fiction includes The Amber Fury (2014), a psychological thriller inspired by Greek tragedy, and The Children of Jocasta (2017), which retells the myth of Oedipus through the perspectives of Jocasta and Ismene. In her free time, Haynes hosts the BBC Radio 4 series Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics, where she combines comedy with analysis to poke fun of the ancient Greeks. She is also a frequent contributor to The Guardian.
Haynes’s visit to the Kitchener Public Library offers readers an opportunity to engage further with her work and explore why ancient myths continue to fascinate audiences today. Even for those unfamiliar with Greek mythology, Natalie Haynes is a sharp and engaging storyteller whose work offers a compelling reason to revisit stories we think we already know.
Contributed Photo/Sheryl Madakkai
