Ann Wroe is the author of Orpheus: The Song of Life, out this month from The Overlook Press. She has written five books, including Pontius Pilate: The Biography of an Invented Man and Being Shelley: The Poet's Search for Himself. After earning her doctorate in Medieval history from Oxford, she joined the Economist in 1976 to cover American politics, and has since held the post of Books and Arts editor (1988-1992) and American editor (1992-2000). She currently edits the Obituaries and Briefings sections.
He was a musician and a poet. He journeyed to the underworld to save his wife. And he helped fetch the golden fleece. Sure, there are plenty of heroes in Greek myths, but Orpheus is the patron saint of the arts. Former Economist books editor Ann Wroe, author of Orpheus: The Song of Life, a new ‘biography,’ on what the hero can teach us today.
