>"The acclaimed poet on mythology, metamorphosis and the paradoxes of justice."Fiona Benson’s poetry deals in both devastation and delight. Her work offers a raw insight into difficult experiences of depression and motherhood, but also crystallised moments of solace and joy. Her most recent book, Vertigo & Ghost (2019) – which won the Forward Prize for Best Collection – includes a visceral sequence that reimagines the rape narratives of classical mythology. Benson takes the transformations of Ovid’s Metamorphoses and exposes their physical and psychological violence, presenting a toxic relationship where Zeus is an all-powerful, omnipresent abuser. Jaleh Brazell spoke to Benson about embodiment, the paradoxes of justice and combining the contemporary and the classical.