About
Written October, 2007:
The story of Sappho of Lesbos has been told and retold over the last 2,500 years, but across the millennia no one has ever told it quite like this. Breathtaking graphics and panoramic scope lovingly rendered in 3D illustration by storycrafter Pam Harrison tells a new side of the tale which is, as fantasy/science fiction legend Christie Golden puts it, “a serious Sappho story.” You are invited to enjoy this complimentary online archive of House of the Muses. You will find a link to subscribe to this series and receive an email update when each new page goes live! If you love the series and want to read the rest of the story, issues of House of the Muses can be purchased online at this site.
Scholars have for centuries set aside one perplexing poem inexplicably written in Spartan dialect from the Ennead, the nine books authored by Sappho. Why Sappho kept this poem among her works has never been explained. Sappho had among her students a girl named Mnasidika, a Spartan name that means, ‘In Remembrance of Justice’. Another translated restoration of a little-known poem of Sappho’s, shredded by the early Church and left in fragments because of its ‘offensive’ subject matter revealed a haunting tale of ‘immortal lovers’…both female.
House of the Muses: The Latter Days of Sappho of Lesbos introduces us to Mnasidika of Sparta, a girl with a stolen destiny, and how she made her journey to Lesbos. At the end of her adventures, she would write the one poem that the legendary Poetess of Mytilene would safeguard among her treasured works forever. Adapted more from the translated works of her notoriously gay childhood friend Alkaios than from the works of Sappho herself, his recounting of their early youth during the Civil War in Mytilene, the War with Athens, and the activities of the House of Penthilos bear more light on the youth of Sappho than her Church-ravaged works ever could. Many are unaware—or their understanding uncertain—about the part the Poetess of Mytilene played in the court intrigues, political upheavals and assassination plots of this time.
House of the Muses is a straightforward adventure story whose heroine only happens to be a lesbian. It touches some hard-hitting issues still extant today and proves beyond a doubt that so many of life’s issues—coming out, finding love, dealing with pain and loss—are eternal and universal. A complex story with an almost universal reach, House of the Muses, a survivor’s tale that explores themes of fate, destiny and finding a place to belong has developed an online fan following that crosses sex, gender and orientation barriers and has sold presale copies as far away as Moorooka and Sydney, Australia.
House of the Muses #2, because of its subject matter, will be dedicated to women who have been targeted by violence. Rebecca, an educator from Sydney, Australia, writes:
Hey, Pam. I think that it’s a great idea to dedicate the second book as you have suggested. I feel that there can be healing in reading about certain things. Also, you are writing an historical fiction – you cannot shy away from certain things, if they are in the history about which you are writing, for fear of upsetting survivors…it would be like avoiding all mention of the holocaust in the history of Germany because you wouldn’t want to offend any German or Jewish survivors.
House of the Muses is rated Teen+. The first issue of the six-part miniseries will be available by October 31 st to LGBT readers (and yes…straight readers love it, too!) both locally at The Great Escape, 2433 Bardstown Rd. Louisville, KY and online at http://www.indyplanet.com.
Written August 25, 2009:
Scholars have for centuries set aside one perplexing poem inexplicably written in Spartan dialect from the Ennead, the nine books authored by Sappho. Why Sappho kept this poem in her collection has never been explained.
Sappho had among her students a girl named Mnasidika, a Spartan name that means, ‘In Remembrance of Justice’. Another translated restoration of a little-known poem of Sappho’s, shredded by the early Church and left in fragments because of its ‘offensive’ subject matter revealed a haunting tale of ‘immortal lovers’.
The details of this novel are derived primarily from the works of Alkaios, not Sappho, in his recounting of their early youth during the Civil War in Mytilene, the War with Athens, and the activities of the House of Penthilos. Many are unaware–or their understanding uncertain–about the part the Poetess of Mytilene played in the court intrigues, political upheavals and assassination plots of the time.
Of all who have reviewed and praised this series, T.E. Lyons of LEO Weekly Magazine summed it best:
“A tale from ancient history, compiled from the writings of a Greek poet and her friend. But in The House of the Muses, you’ll read it through the modern media we know as the Graphic Novel. And the poet is Sappho, so it’s no surprise that passion is as omnipresent as the power politics of slave ownership and family intrigues.”
House of the Muses: The Latter Days of Sappho of Lesbos introduces us, in stunning graphics rendered in DAZ 3D Studio, to Mnasidika of Sparta, a girl with a stolen destiny, and how she made her journey to Lesbos. At the end of her adventures, she would write the one poem that the legendary Poetess of Mytilene would safeguard among her treasured works forever.
House of the Muses TM and © Pam Harrison. All rights reserved.
Early reviews/About Pam Harrison
Booksmart – This ‘House’ is finally built — in 3-D
By T.E. Lyons December 18, 2007
A tale from ancient history, compiled from the writings of a Greek poet and her friend. But in “The House of the Muses,” you’ll read it through the modern media we know as the Graphic Novel. And the poet is Sappho, so it’s no surprise that passion is as omnipresent as the power politics of slave ownership and family intrigues.
A careful look at the first “serial” shows two copyright dates — one is 1987. Vine Grove writer and illustrator Pam Harrison has waited 20 years for her vision to come into print. When she first imagined it, the journeys and trials of her protagonist, the Spartan slave nicknamed Dika, went into prose.
And the story stayed in unrealized form — along with a large number of accompanying sketches. Meantime, as the Vine Grove, Ky., writer/illustrator told LEO, the effort that it would take to bring the story into print went through “several false starts — job situation, gotta pay the bills for the family.” In the meantime, Harrison’s career included rewarding work as a graphic artist. An aspiring comics artist since age 12, she eventually learned 3-D graphics, which eventually became the basis for the illustrations in the published version of “House of the Muses.”
Balancing an artistic goal with day-to-day living was frustrating, but Harrison felt assured to a degree because the work “was already written front to back.”
“I had to try to find a vehicle for it,” she says, and so she made up her mind last year to bring the story out, illustrated with the help of DAZ Studio, one of the most respected software tools for human animation. Interestingly, the new, computerized methods of drawing in 3-D make for some changes for how a 1987-completed “House” might’ve looked, but the artist contends, “My style is the same. I had tons of sketches. This is how the main character looked — [her appearance on the page] really hasn’t changed much.”
How it was that this particular story — a saga of survival by hairbreadth and lesbian awakening — ignited two decades’ worth of Harrison’s determination to invest into the realization of this particular story, is a bit mystifying to her. “To be honest, I have no idea. I was taking Greek Studies at school (Western Kentucky), and I was working on Greek translations — translating New Testament Greek — when I tripped over this new material.”
The books can be found and ordered at indyplanet.com, where they’re produced through POD (print on demand). They’re also available here on the racks at Great Escape (2433 Bardstown Road). As Harrison says, “I boldly presented it — sent them a hard copy — and they got back in touch and said that they receive tons of unsolicited material, so it really has to be good if they’re going to take it. Soon enough, they got back in touch — and did take it.”
The artist decided on a “mature content” notice on the cover. However, anyone who’s ever opened up a volume of hentai at a comics store will realize that “House of the Muses” is more in line with today’s mainstream comics market. Serial No. 2 will be out in February. The miniseries is scheduled to be released at regular intervals, concluding with No. 6 on sale in February 2009.
Lots of boys grow up wanting to write comic books. This is not predominately a character trait associated with girls, but some women are thusly driven. This is particularly the case of Pam Harrison, creator of the new comic book series: House of the Muses.
More a graphic novel than a comic book, House of the Muses is really amazing. The graphics are rendered in 3D which gives them a unique feel. The dialogue is amusing, allowing an intricate plot to be unveiled yet allowing the characters to retain a sense of individuality and personality that is often lacking in this genre.
House of the Muses: The Latter Days of Sappho of Lesbos introduces us to Mnasidika of Sparta, a girl with a stolen destiny, and how she made her journey to Lesbos. At the end of her adventures, she would write the one poem that the legendary Poetess of Mytilene would safeguard among her treasured works forever. Adapted more from the translated works of her notoriously gay childhood friend Alkaios than from the works of Sappho herself, his recounting of their early youth during the Civil War in Mytilene, the War with Athens, and the activities of the House of Penthilos bear more light on the youth of Sappho than her Church-ravaged works ever could. Many are unaware—or their understanding uncertain—about the part the Poetess of Mytilene played in the court intrigues, political upheavals and assassination plots of this time.
House of the Muses is a straightforward adventure story whose heroine only happens to be a lesbian. It touches some hard-hitting issues still extant today and proves beyond a doubt that so many of life’s issues—coming out, finding love, dealing with pain and loss—are eternal and universal. A complex story with an almost universal reach, House of the Muses, a survivor’s tale that explores themes of fate, destiny and finding a place to belong has developed an online fan following that crosses sex, gender and orientation barriers and has sold presale copies as far away as Moorooka and Sydney, Australia.
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Lots of boys grow up wanting to write comic books. This is not predominately a character trait associated with girls, but some women are thusly driven. This is particularly the case of Pam Harrison, creator of the new comic book series: House of the Muses.
More a graphic novel than a comic book, House of the Muses is really amazing. The graphics are rendered in 3D which gives them a unique feel. The dialogue is amusing, allowing an intricate plot to be unveiled yet allowing the characters to retain a sense of individuality and personality that is often lacking in this genre.
House of the Muses: The Latter Days of Sappho of Lesbos introduces us to Mnasidika of Sparta, a girl with a stolen destiny, and how she made her journey to Lesbos. At the end of her adventures, she would write the one poem that the legendary Poetess of Mytilene would safeguard among her treasured works forever. Adapted more from the translated works of her notoriously gay childhood friend Alkaios than from the works of Sappho herself, his recounting of their early youth during the Civil War in Mytilene, the War with Athens, and the activities of the House of Penthilos bear more light on the youth of Sappho than her Church-ravaged works ever could. Many are unaware—or their understanding uncertain—about the part the Poetess of Mytilene played in the court intrigues, political upheavals and assassination plots of this time.
House of the Muses is a straightforward adventure story whose heroine only happens to be a lesbian. It touches some hard-hitting issues still extant today and proves beyond a doubt that so many of life’s issues—coming out, finding love, dealing with pain and loss—are eternal and universal. A complex story with an almost universal reach, House of the Muses, a survivor’s tale that explores themes of fate, destiny and finding a place to belong has developed an online fan following that crosses sex, gender and orientation barriers and has sold presale copies as far away as Moorooka and Sydney, Australia.
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