Jane Dougherty

Jane Dougherty is a British author of Irish origin. She writes poetry, short stories and novels. Her latest book, Pasiphae, was published in 2026 by Legend Press.

Dougherty grew up in Yorkshire. She now lives in France. She began writing by creating short stories and a YA series. These were for her teenage children. Her first novel was published by Musa in 2014.

Her poetry and short stories have been published online. They have also appeared in anthologies and magazines. She has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize. She has published three poetry pamphlets. The Darkest Tide was published by Northodox Press in 2025.

Pasiphae is a feminist retelling of the Minotaur myth (2026). The novel tells the story from Pasiphae's perspective. Princess Pasiphae of Kolchis is sent to Knossos to secure the throne. She becomes entangled in a brutal power struggle. The Mother cult demands blood whilst Minos seeks to overturn ancient rule. She fights to protect her children: Asterion and Ariadne. Asterion is her gentle son marked as a monster. Ariadne is the ambitious daughter who rejects her. Betrayals, sacrifices and shifting allegiances shape the kingdom's fate. When Theseus arrives to claim his prize, Knossos falls. Pasiphae must face the ghosts of all she has lost.

Dougherty wrote about her approach to the novel. She said: "Knossos was destroyed and replaced by Mycenaean culture". She explained: "I have tried to strip back the victor's propaganda". This includes propaganda of "monsters, evil enchantresses and debauched queens". She wanted "to tell Pasiphaë's story" in a historically plausible way.

The myths were written during the 400 years between Homer and Euripides. They were set during the Mycenaean Greek period. This was a patriarchal society. At this time, Crete was not Hellenic. Knossos was the centre of the Minoan civilisation. It was likely an egalitarian, matrilinear society.

Dougherty said: "Pasiphaë, like her (evil enchantress) sister Circe, faced rewriting. She added that her niece Medea also faced this. They came 'from the 'barbaric' far shore of the Black Sea". She concluded they "were quite possibly victims" of history rewriting.

The novel runs to 320 pages. It has received endorsements calling it "a vivid and beautifully written retelling". Other reviewers described it as "a wonder of a novel".

Photo credit: janedougherty.wordpress.com