Barry Unsworth

In 14th Century England, a troupe of touring actors arrives in a town where a deaf-and-mute girl awaits execution for murder. They research the crime and perform a play that is closer to the truth than anyone imagined. When the local lord summons them to his castle for a private performance, they know they are in trouble. By the author of Pascali's Island.

“Troy meant one thing only to the men gathered here, as it did to their commanders. Troy was a dream of wealth; and if the wind continued the dream would crumble.”
As the harsh wind holds the Greek fleet trapped in the straits at Aulis, frustration and political impotence turn into a desire for the blood of a young and innocent woman – blood that will appease the gods and allow the troops to set sail. And when Iphigeneia, Agamemnon’s...

"It is hard to think of anywhere on earth where so many firsts and mosts are crammed into a space so small," Barry Unsworth writes of the isle of Crete. Birthplace of the Greek god Zeus, the Greek alphabet, and the first Greek laws, as well as the home of 15 mountain ranges and the longest gorge in Europe, this land is indisputably unique. And since ancient times, its inhabitants have maintained an astonishing tenacity and sense of national identity,...

Liverpool, 1752. William Kemp has lost a fortune in cotton speculation, and must recoup his losses if his son is to marry the wealthy woman whom he loves. His last resort is a slave ship, one that will take him to the Guinea coast, where he will trade for human cargo, then embark on the infamous Middle Passage. When disease ravages the ship and the African prisoners mutiny, Williams profit-seeking venture falls apart. Slaves and sailors alike...

A lighthearted tale of the colonization of the Umbrian countryside by international yuppies. With one hand they fight the locals, with the other each other. The bone of contention is who will pay for the collapsed village wall, an accident blamed on a moving truck. By the author of Morality Play.

Suffering from writer's block a man goes for a walk in Liverpool and meets a war buddy working as a busker. They discuss the death of a soldier for which the writer always felt responsible and the buddy's revelation changes the writer's life.

A novel of intrigue in an English country estate. The protagonist is Simon who lives there with his sister and whose pastime is spying on a woman neighbor as she is undressing. Simon's problems begin with the arrival of a new gardener who also has a penchant for spying. By the author of Morality Play.

Set in 14th century England, the story involves a priest who leaves the church after committing adultery. He falls in with a troupe of traveling actors. The group ends up in a small town where a mute woman is accused of witchcraft and murder. Drawn to the woman, the troupe re-creates the events in hopes of drawing a crowd and solving the crime.