Labyrinth

One classic film, fifty-five sonnets

Labyrinth: One classic film, fifty-five sonnets retells the cult classic film in the form of Shakespearean sonnets. It was inspired by A Corrigan’s love of the film and the fact that she wished the novelisation had been more poetic, and physically resembled the book in the film more closely. She started writing the book late last year, intending it to be a celebration of the film’s thirtieth anniversary, but it has now also become a tribute to its star, David Bowie. Many of the poems were composed at Bowie shrines; titles of various Bowie songs also found their way into the text. Labyrinth: One classic film, fifty-five sonnets is written in the form of Shakespearean sonnets, to reflect the fact that several of the lines Sarah quotes from her book in the film resemble iambic pentameter, but the language is intended to be more accessible. The book is aimed at Labyrinth aficionados, as well as fans of David Bowie and people who like sonnets and/or traditional rhyming poetry. A Corrigan takes inspiration from the works of Tolkien, Tanith Lee, and Neil Gaiman, and was specifically influenced by Christina Rossetti’s ‘Goblin Market’ and Lewis Carroll’s ‘The Hunting of the Snark’.