Colm Tóibín and House of Names

Parallel Stories is a literary and performing arts series that pairs art and artists with award-winning authors and performers of regional, national, and international acclaim. This series functions as a multidisciplinary lens through which to view the Museum's collection and special exhibitions.

From the bestselling, award-winning author of The Testament of Mary, Brooklyn, and The Master comes House of Names ―a powerful retelling of the classic Greek tragedy of Clytemnestra and her children.

“I have been acquainted with the smell of death.” So begins Clytemnestra’s tale of her life in ancient Mycenae, the legendary Greek city from which her husband, King Agamemnon, left when he set sail with his army for Troy. The story of a family at war with itself is re-imagined and read by Colm Tóibín, with Q&A and book signing to follow.

“I went out and looked at the sky. And all I had then to help me was the leftover language of prayer. What had once been powerful and added meaning to everything was now desolate, strange, with its own sad, brittle power….” ―House of Names