Morpheus — Katharina Hacker

With great imagination, Katharina Hacker has created seven stories, all inspired by figures of classical mythology. Many crossreferences link the stories, but almost all are set in the modern world. Among the themes are those of (mythological) past and present, remembering and forgetting, being able to speak and being condemned to silence, love and loss, guilt, frustration and other obsessions. What is essential to the stories is the style: the language is poetic, at times rhythmical, and with words chosen for their sound as well as for the images they evoke. Their mood is sometimes ghostly, sometimes sad; all are imbued with a triste humor. Hacker's ease with classical figures is reflected in their immediacy for the contemporary reader.