Zoe Terakes is a writer and actor with deep family connections to the island of Crete, where their great-grandparents migrated to Australia from.
This island is the site of Europe’s first ancient civilisation.
Bronze Age Crete had palaces, temples, art, written language and mythology long before the Roman Empire existed, and centuries before the Parthenon was built.
When Zoe started reading the mythology of Crete they were astounded by how many of the tales involve mutability, metamorphosis, the transformation of this into that; from human to bird to lion and to human again – and from male to female and from female to male.
Zoe has retold some of these wild stories of blood, sex, love, divinity, humanity and magical transformations in their first book.
But the trans actor, who underwent their own transformation a few years ago, did not want to sanitise any of these ancient stories to make them more palatable for the contemporary audience.
Because, for Zoe, the power and enduring relevance of these epics is found in their tragedy, violence and mess.
Eros: Queer Myths for Lovers is published by Hachette.
This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.
It explores myth, storytelling, poetry, art, transgender, non-binary, gender identity, sexual identity, young Australians, Australian literature, Australian writers, acting, television, Marvel Universe, Sydney, Kings Cross, Greece, Crete, Talk To Me, film, Australian film, growing up in Sydney, growing up Queer.
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