FICTION

Divine Comedies: A Gift from Zeus and the Old Testament Made Easy

by Jeanne STEIG
illus. by William Steig. 200p. ebook available. S. & S./Atheneum. 2016. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781481439572.
COPY ISBN
Gr 7 Up—With tongues planted firmly in cheek, the Steigs' deliver thoroughly entertaining retellings of classical myths and Bible stories. Here are gathered two previously published works, A Gift from Zeus (2001) and The Old Testament Made Easy (1990). Though William Steig's artwork might call to mind Shrek or Doctor De Soto, this fare is for more mature readers, as his wife and collaborator Jeanne Steig does not shy away from the more lurid aspects (suicide, incest, violence, and sex) in some of these classic tales. For those with a basic understanding of the originals, the Steigs' pithy versions are guaranteed to elicit chuckles and spark discussion. Clever and fluid prose makes these especially enjoyable as read-alouds for teens.—Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal
Divine combines the Steigs' 1990 collection of biblical poetry ("Old Testament") and their 2001 book of mythology peppered with poems ("Zeus"). This edition is designed with lots of white space, making William Steig's loose-lined watercolor and ink illustrations stand out, especially the color ones in "Zeus." (And not just because of their bawdiness; the 2001 edition's eye-popping cover illustration is missing, but female nudity still abounds.) ("Zeus": 2001, HarperCollins, rev. 5/01. "Old Testament": 1990, Farrar.)
Reviewed by Kiera Parrott , Feb 01, 2016

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