A Short History of Myth (11 page)

K
AREN
A
RMSTRONG’S
first book, the best-selling
Through the Narrow Gate
(1981), described her seven years as a nun in a Roman Catholic order. She has published numerous books, including
A History of God
, which has been translated into thirty languages,
A
History of Jerusalem and In the Beginning: A New Reading
of Genesis
. Her more recent works include
Islam: A Short
History
and
Buddha
, which was an international best-seller. Since 1982 she has been a freelance writer and broadcaster. She lives in London.

Myths are universal and timeless stories that reflect and shape our lives – they explore our desires, dour fears, our longings, and provide narratives that remind us what it means to be human.
The Myths
series brings together some of the world’s finest writers, each of whom has retold a myth in a contemporary and memorable way. Authors in the series include: Chinua Achebe, Margaret Atwood, Karen Armstrong, AS Byatt, David Grossman, Milton Hatoum, Natsuo Kirino, Alexander McCall Smith, Tomás Eloy Martínez, Victor Pelevin, Ali Smith, Donna Tartt, Su Tong, Dubravka Ugresic, Salley Vickers and Jeanette Winterson.

The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness
(2004)

Buddha
(2001)

Islam: A Short History
(2000)

The Battle for God
(2000)

A History of Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths
(1996)

In the Beginning: A New Interpretation of Genesis
(1996)

Visions of God: Four Medieval Mystics and Their Writings
(1994)

A History of God: The 4000-year Quest of Judaism,
Christianity and Islam
(1993)

Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet
(1992)

The English Mystics of the Fourteenth Century
(ed.) (1991)

Holy War: The Crusades and their
Impact on Today’s World
(1998)

The Gospel According to Woman: Christianity’s Creation of
the Sex War in the West
(1986)

Tongues of Fire: An Anthology of Religious and Poetic
Experience
(ed.) (1985)

Beginning the World
(1983)

Through the Narrow Gate
(1981)

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