Ancient Greek literature
Seven works of Sophocles have survived, the most acclaimed of which are the three Theban plays, which center around the story of Oedipus and his offspring. The Theban Trilogy consists of "Oedipus the King", "Oedipus at Colonus", and "Antigone". Although the plays are often called a "trilogy," they were actually written many years apart. "Antigone", the last of the three plays sequentially, was actually first to be written, having been composed in 441 BC, towards the beginning of Sophocles's career. "Oedipus the King", the most famous of the three, was written around 429 BC at the midpoint of Sophocles's career. "Oedipus at Colonus", the second of the three plays chronologically, was actually Sophocles's last play and was performed in 401 BC, after Sophocles's death.
The Antiphon
Barnes started writing the play in the early 1950s and, unlike her other major works, many of the early manuscript drafts still exist. They can be consulted in her archives at The University of Maryland. In 1954, once Barnes had completed writing the play, she sent it to T. S. Eliot at Faber & Faber, who had previously published "Nightwood" and with whom she had developed a strong friendship. Eliot was initially very uncertain of the play's merits, indeed in a letter responding to it he explained that he had struggled to fully comprehend it. Nonetheless, he enlisted the poet and critic Edwin Muir to read the manuscript, who claimed the play "a work of genius and utterly absurd." Muir did, however, suggest some editorial changes, especially to the first act, and Barnes produced a new draft of the play. In November 1956, with Muir and Eliot's recommendation, Faber & Faber agreed to publish the play and Eliot agreed to write the preface for it, as he had done for Nightwood. However, the draft preface he sent to Barnes ahead of the publication described the play as quixotic and Barnes as a writer with too much genius and not enough talent. Barnes was hurt and Eliot withdrew the preface, but their friendship had been soured.