Ferdia Lennon

Some debuts need no lead-up; they grab you instantly. It is no surprise, then, that Irish author Ferdia Lennon has already won numerous awards with his novel Glorious Exploits. At Borderkitchen, dramaturg Remco van Rijn (HNT) will sit down with him to discuss a story that is both heartbreaking and unexpectedly witty.

The premise is as absurd as it is poignant. The year is 412 BC, and the Athenian invasion of Sicily has ended in a catastrophic fiasco. Thousands of Athenian prisoners of war are confined in a limestone quarry in Syracuse, where they are perishing from hunger in the scorching heat. Amidst the corpses and starvation, local potters Gelon and Lampo come up with a daring idea: they will stage Medea by Euripides in the quarry. Anyone who can declaim lines by Euripides is allowed to participate and receives bread, olives, and wine.

‘One of the most original, brilliant debuts in years.’ – THE IRISH TIMES