IVY POCHODA

It may seem odd to equate Greek drama and athletics with contemporary mysteries. But author Ivy Pochoda sees a logical intersection with the violence, structure, and drive inherent in these subjects.

- Oline H. Cogdill

“Greek literature and poetry have many violent images with the action, killings and tragedies,” says Pochoda, who received her bachelor’s degree in classical Greek and English and American literature from Harvard.

“In the Greek classics, the worlds overlap. The underworld is present in the human world and that is not fantastical, but literal in Greek literature. The world of the gods overlaps with the [human] world. The same in mysteries. The otherworld is touching our own. The elements are layering just below the surface,” adds Pochoda, the author of four well-received mysteries.

“In the classics, the agon, which is a contest, a conflict, is at the center. In the Iliad, should Achilles give up his principles and pride to go back to war because they need him? It is just this little conflict, but it sets the story in motion. Small conflicts can set a story in motion,” she says.

The framework of Greek literature also correlates to mystery fiction. “What has always interested me in Greek literature is the structure. There is a set structure in all Greek plays. The plots are different but they all have a prologue, a chorus and the story. I think of that structure as scaffolding. Someone pointed out to me that I use that structure in my books,” says Pochoda.

As for the athletics connection, Pochoda says that sports often show up in Greek literature: “Sports also comes down to self-determination and drive.” Both are, of course, traits in mysteries and are solid writers’ tools.