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Here, the World Entire - Anwen Kya Hayward, 2016

  • Writer: Johnathan Mack
    Johnathan Mack
  • Feb 6, 2021
  • 3 min read

Recently, I’ve been delving into the depths of Greek mythology when I came across a mention of this brilliant novella. The myth concerning Medusa is incredibly well-known, but Here, the World Entire manages to offer a wonderfully modern twist on an incredibly old tale. The narrative itself doesn’t stray far from events as they are presented in ancient sources, with Medusa’s curse and her encounter with Perseus, but it is the way in which this traditional myth is framed which makes it a refreshing retelling.


Medusa is usually portrayed as a threatening external force, but here the narrator takes on her perspective, and the reader is placed directly inside her mind. This flips the entire Medusa completely on its head, and we are taken along the journey from the viewpoint of a supposed monster. Except, Medusa’s perspective is far from what one would expect from a monster. She is presented, not as monstrous, but incredibly sympathetic. The character of Medusa carries a much greater range than in other recent depictions (In Clash of the Titans she is nothing more than an angry CGI sprite) and we are encouraged to empathise with her struggles. Medusa is shown to be as vulnerable as she is dangerous, she despairs as much as she is hopeful, and she suffers as much as she harms. Hayward manages to elevate far above the shallow monster figure which Medusa is so often cast as. It is clear that she holds a deep understanding and reverence for Medusa and this shines through, due to the incredibly realistic rendering of the character. The complexities of Medusa’s backstory and the impact of her circumstances on her mental state are explored thoroughly.


Saying that Medusa is humanised as she deserves to be, does not mean that the horrifying aspects of her condition are overlooked or underplayed. The hallmarks of Medusa – her serpentine hair and petrifying gaze – take centre stage on how the narrative plays out. Medusa’s inability to look at anything living without turning it to stone means that much of the description rests upon senses beyond her sight. Medusa’s cave and her interactions with others are framed by what she hears and feels more than what she sees. For example, Medusa more than once tries to identify the dialect of Perseus’ language to gain more insight into his character. It is heart-breaking that she has been reduced to clutching at such thin strands of interaction. This very intimate description of Medusa’s experience makes her a much more engaging protagonist. You are not limited to seeing what Medusa sees, you feel what she feels, hear what she hears, and thinks as she thinks. We are even given a few digressions into Medusa’s imagination of how the outside world feels and looks, which only serves to align her perspective with the reader’s even more – Medusa’s desire to leave her cave is incredibly relatable when reading this text in lockdown... The torturous nature of Medusa’s condition and situation, the isolation and suffering, are realised beautifully and concisely, you could certainly read this in an afternoon.


A praiseworthy aspect of this novella is how it directly challenges the more troubling aspects of the Medusa narrative. The scene of Poseidon’s rape of Medusa is something which is an uncomfortable part of the narrative, which is often glossed over, but there is no attempt to underplay it here. Hayward tackles the event head on and confronts the reader with an unsettling and uncompromising description, there is no effort to romanticise or avert the reader’s attention. It is an event which is central to Medusa’s character and its significance is maintained in the narrative. The gravity of the assault and the effect it has on Medusa are explored throughout. Medusa is much more a traumatised victim than a monster and Hayward does a brilliant job of cultivating the character by exploring these uncomfortable aspects.


If you’re looking for a modern take on Medusa, then this offers an astonishingly well-conceived synthesis of Medusa’s character which stays true to ancient narratives. It gives an impressive rendition of Medusa in a light which is not explored often, and she is almost stripped of her status as a monster. It would perhaps be more accurate to describe this novella as about a deeply human character who suffers from monstrosity.




Here, the World Entire is available here:




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