Strongbox
Poetry Book Society Winter Choice Award 2017
SoA Cholmondeley Award 2017
Forward Prize for Best Single Poem 2016
"The Strongbox" opens with the abduction of a woman to a foreign land and ends with the Rape of Europa.
Drawing in elements of Greek mythology, epic literature and recent history, this protean work gives shape to a cast of characters both ancient and modern, as they flit in and out of tales, their voices overlapping and interacting.
An unnamed girl is persuaded to leave behind her country and her childhood and travel to a warzone. Helen of Sparta, already trapped behind the walls of Ilium, is plagued by dreams about the coming conflict. Gods continue their manipulations, while mortals persist in defying the will of their gods.
Through a series of interconnected scenes and dialogues this singular work traces the role of myth in shaping our accounts of both history and contemporary events.
SoA Cholmondeley Award 2017
Forward Prize for Best Single Poem 2016
"The Strongbox" opens with the abduction of a woman to a foreign land and ends with the Rape of Europa.
Drawing in elements of Greek mythology, epic literature and recent history, this protean work gives shape to a cast of characters both ancient and modern, as they flit in and out of tales, their voices overlapping and interacting.
An unnamed girl is persuaded to leave behind her country and her childhood and travel to a warzone. Helen of Sparta, already trapped behind the walls of Ilium, is plagued by dreams about the coming conflict. Gods continue their manipulations, while mortals persist in defying the will of their gods.
Through a series of interconnected scenes and dialogues this singular work traces the role of myth in shaping our accounts of both history and contemporary events.
About the author
Sasha Dugdale was born in Sussex. Between 1995 and 2000 she worked for the British Council in Russia, where she set up the Russian New Writing Project with the Royal Court Theatre. She currently works as a translator and consultant for the Royal Court and other theatre companies. Many of her translations have been staged, one of which, "Plasticine" by Vassily Sigarev, won the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright. She has published two collections of translations of Russian poetry and, with Carcanet, three collections of her own poetry, "Notebook" (2003), "The Estate" (2007) and "Red House" (2011). In 2003 she received an Eric Gregory Award.