Award-winning author R. F. Kuang, known for books such as The Poppy War, Babel, and Yellowface, has a new novel forthcoming titled Katabasis. The word may sound unusual, but it has a long history in literature and mythology.
The Meaning of Katabasis
“Katabasis” is an ancient Greek word that means ‘descent’, often into the underworld. In stories, it refers to a hero’s journey downward into darkness, danger, or even death. This descent is usually followed by “anabasis”, the upward journey or return. Together, these movements symbolise struggle and survival, enduring hardship and then emerging transformed.
Kuang’s Katabasis uses this idea directly. The story follows two graduate students who travel into the underworld on a mission to rescue their professor’s soul. By choosing this title, Kuang is connecting her novel to one of humanity’s oldest storytelling patterns: the journey through crisis toward renewal.
Ancient Examples of Katabasis
The idea of katabasis has appeared in stories for thousands of years:
- In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus visits the land of the dead to consult the prophet Tiresias.
- In Virgil’s Aeneid, the hero Aeneas meets his father in the underworld, who reveals the future of Rome.
- The musician Orpheus tries to bring his wife Eurydice back from Hades but tragically fails.
- Dante’s Divine Comedy maps Hell before guiding the reader upward toward salvation.
- Later writers, such as John Milton, Joseph Conrad, and Toni Morrison, utilised katabasis to explore themes of sin, cruelty, and trauma.
Fantasy authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Ursula K. Le Guin also reimagined this journey through their fictional worlds.
Katabasis is not limited to Western concepts. In Mesopotamian mythology, the goddess Inanna (or Ishtar) descends into the underworld to challenge its ruler and must sacrifice someone else to return. In the Mayan Popol Vuh, the Hero Twins battle the Lords of Death before emerging victorious.
Psychology also uses similar ideas. Carl Jung described personal growth as a descent into the unconscious, followed by an ascent into integration. Even nature reflects the pattern: katabatic winds flow downhill, while anabatic winds move upward.
By naming her novel Katabasis, Kuang highlights the universal truth behind this structure: everyone faces dark periods in life, but survival and growth often come from passing through them. Just like the heroes of old, her characters and her readers may find strength and meaning in the return journey.
In reviving this ancient idea, Kuang shows that myths are not just old stories. They are timeless guides, helping us understand how to endure hardship and hope for renewal. Katabasis promises to carry this tradition forward for a new generation of readers.