Dan O'Sullivan

I am a retired history teacher with degrees from Cambridge and the University of East Anglia. My wife, Hazel, and I live in Great Ayton, an attractive village in North Yorkshire, where we settled about fifty years ago. During my career I have also published quite a few books, mainly about history, although my latest one, "Rivals in Love and War", is a bit different. Its about three Greek goddesses, their rivalries and the way they intervened in the life of mortals. I suppose one can call it fiction. It is mainly based on the ancient Greek and Roman epics which have survived to this day, plus some invention on my part. I wrote it during the Covid epidemic when often there wasn't much else to do.

One reason why this topic interested me was over the question of free will. The ancient Greeks, who presumably believed in their Olympian gods and goddesses, also felt that these powerful beings could control human lives. We, today, may not believe in gods at all, but scientists who research the human brain tell us that our free will is strictly limited, if it exists at all. So perhaps there is a parallel here, and the old epics have something to teach us. Even if you don't accept this you must admit they are exciting stories!