Patricia Volonakis Davis
Books About Greece
A Dozen Great Books All About Greece
1. The Collected Poems of Odysseus Elytis, by Odysseus Elytis, Jeffrey Carson and Nikos Sarris, translators
‘Odysseus Elytis’ is the pen name for Odysseus Alepoudhelis. Mr. Elytis won the Nobel Peace Prize in Literature in 1979, “for his poetry, which against the background of Greek tradition, depicts with sensuous strength and intellectual clear-sightedness, modern man’s struggle for freedom and creativeness.” Composers like Mikis Theodorakis, have for years, based musical works on Odysseus Elytis’ poetry. This volume is a very fine English-language translation version of Elytis’ works.
2. The Last Temptation of Christ, by Nikos Katzanzakis
I can recommend anything by Nikos Katzanzakis,as a good read and for further insight into the Hellenic world and mindset. But I list The Last Temptation of Christ because the writing of it was the reason Katzanzakis was excommunicated from the Greek Orthodox Church. Yet, the inscription he had placed on his tomb in Crete, suggests that perhaps he wasn’t overly distraught by his expulsion:
“I want nothing. I fear nothing. I am free.”
(This epitaph can also be found printed on T-shirts in all the tourist shops in Greece!)
3. Eleni: A Savage War, A Mother's Love, and a Son's Revenge, by Nicholas Gage
This work reveals how people will disregard sound reasoning and decency of character for a particular ideology, and then, through envy and bitterness, murder off even the mildest opposition. This can happen and does---(are we paying attention, world?)--- with any ideology, but this particular story is of Communist guerrillas in Epirus (Northern Greece) who take over the village of Lía, during the Greek Civil War. The main character is Eleni Gatzoyiannis, who attempts to escape for the sake of her children. Other villagers report her to the communists who torture and murder her in a gully, along with other villagers. Her children manage to escape to the United States just before the Greek national armies attacked the northern mountains.
The author, Nicholas Gage, is Eleni Gatzoyiannis’ son, and he writes about what he uncovered in his search to discover exactly what happened to his mother. A successful journalist in the U.S., he’s written a splendid account of historical events that took place during this time of turbulence in Greece. Eleni was made into a film in 1985, and starred Kate Nelligan.
4. A Man by Oriana Fallaci
When I was a young girl and dating my Greek, I found this account of the Greek freedom fighter, Alekos Panagoulis and his Italian lover, journalist Oriana Fallaci, to be as hypnotic and passionate as the writer herself. Fallaci writes of her romance with Panagoulis, their struggles with each other, and his violent, untimely death. It was the death of Panagoulis, upon which Costas Gavras based his film, Z.
Fallaci has her own story, too. Always a fiercely opinionated journalist, (she once said in a Playboy interview she wished she could have shot Muammar Qaddafi when she was in Libya, rather than interview him) she was awarded the Premio Viareggio and the Premio Nazionale in Italy for this work.
5. Not Even My Name: A True Story, by Thea Halo
Another poignant account of a parent’s adversity through militaristic operations, as told by their child.
“Thea Halo tells the harrowing story of the slaughter of two million Pontic Greeks and Armenians in Turkey after WWI. She writes the memoirs of her mother, Salo, who, in 1921, was forced, along with her entire village, on a year-long death march to Syria.
Ten-year-old Sano Halo lost even her name when she was sold by her surrogate family to a man she later married. Later, they emigrated to New York City, and raised ten children. Sano's is a remarkable story of survival and resilience. Even more notable is the lack of animosity for their oppressors , which so can permeate survivors' retelling of their trials. Indeed, in describing the Turks who helped the author and her mother in their 1989 quest to find Sano's childhood village, there is only gratitude for the hospitality and support they receive.” (Excerpted from Publishers Weekly)
6. Lord Elgin and the Marbles, by William St. Clair
An authoritative historical account, based on details of original records and recent discoveries about the circumstances in which, during the Turkish Occupation, the “Elgin Marbles” were seized from the Parthenon in Greece, and transported to England. St. Clair writes of the enormous impact that the marbles have had on modern appreciation of Greek art, and of the bitter reactions to their appropriation by Napoleon Bonaparte, Lord Byron, Melina Mecouri, and many others. Mr. St. Clair adds to the dispute by revealing some alarming details about the treatment of the Marbles while in the British Museum's care. Anyone who studies ancient Greek sculpture, or is a phillhellene, should not miss the account.
7. Byron: Life and Legend, by Fiona MacCarthy
Many of us are familiar with the works of Lord Byron and that according to Lady Charlotte Lamb, he was, “mad, bad and dangerous to know.” But, what might not be as well known, is that Byron died of fever fighting at Messolonghi on the side of the Greeks against the Turks, during the Greek War of Independence. And before his brave death, he vilified and cursed the British Lord Elgin for his theft of the marbles from the Parthenon, in the epic poem, “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage.“
While biographies of Byron have been written endlessly since his death in 1824 at age 36, author Fiona MacCarthy's absorbing, insightful study of him is distinguishable because it doesn’t fawn over Byron's legend, but it is still keenly aware that the poet’s hypnotic persona and outrageously liberal ideals for his time had an extraordinary resonance throughout the world of art and literature.
8. The History of Sicily, by M.I. Finley, Denis Mack Smith and Christopher Duggan
This is the abridged version of a 1968, three-volume, History of Sicily, by historian Finely and biographer, Smith. This abridged revision is largely by Duggan. ( If you read my memoir you might recall that it is the history read by my father and me, in which we discovered why the colors of rooftops in Sicily had such a great significance.) Finley and Smith write how Sicily is a unique biological and cultural fusion of peoples from the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, including the Normans and how Sicily experienced a succession of conquerors ---Greek, Roman, Arab and Spanish, among them. Naturally it talks about the “Cosa Nostra.” (Although, to make another reference to Harlot's Sauce, there is no citing anywhere in the pages, thank goodness, of Sicilians capturing wolves and shooting Greeks!)
9. The Cyprus Conspiracy: America, Espionage and the Turkish Invasion, by Brendan O’Malley and Ian Craig
Brendan O'Malley is Foreign Editor of the Times Educational Supplement and Ian Craig is Political Editor of the Manchester Evening News. Together they’ve spent 14 years researching the hidden history of the divided island of Cyprus. Their controversial disclosures have led one MP to put forward a motion to the British House of Commons.
In 1974, the Greek colonels of the junta in Greece, ousted the Greek-Cypriot leader of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios. Turkey retaliated by invading Cyprus and seizing a third of the island. To this day, Cyprus remains split in two, north and south, pervaded with troops and military bases, and permanently policed by the United Nations. Back when the invasion occurred, Henry Kissinger claimed he could do nothing to stop the coup due to the Watergate crisis. This book, released on the 25th anniversary of the Turkish invasion, presents evidence to support the stance that the Cyprus coup was no failure of American foreign policy, but the realisation of a long-term strategy. The authors describe the tactical reasons for Washington's need to divide the island. O’Malley and Craig’s portrayal holds accountable an international cast of political figures which include Eden, Eisenhower, Nixon, Kissinger, Wilson, Callaghan, Grivas and the leaders of the two halves of the divided island, Clerides and Denktas.
10. The Bubble of American Supremacy: Correcting the Misuse of American Power, by George Soros
George Soros is not a man with whom the average anti-capitalist or socialist would agree. He is an extremely wealthy and resolute individual who "broke the Bank of England." But, he’s also a man who felt the effects of the Nazi occupation. Soros has a great deal of political savvy and tremendous empathy for oppressed peoples and is one of the worlds great philanthropists. Mr. Soros has taken great care in the construction of this work about the recent direction of The United States in its war against terror and its stance on democracy and the "free world."
11. Barrel Fever: Stories and Essays, by David Sedaris
In a much lighter vein than the last few entries, this is a collection by the outrageous writer, Greek-American David Sedaris, who once made the comment, “The Greeks invented democracy and called it a day.” This compilation of some of his stories and essays gives us a “barrelful” of his side-splitting points of view on any number of things, including growing up in the U.S with a Greek father who, “celebrated his Easter on a different day,” cheery Christmas newsletters featuring infanticide, the lives of siblings named Hope, Faith, Charity and Adolph, and experiences of the famous, such as Charlton Heston and Elizabeth Dole. You’ll laugh very hard. (If you don’t shock easily, that is.)
12. Dictionary of Classical Mythology, by John Edward Zimmerman
In my opinion, this is the top comprehensive dictionary of the figures in Greek and Roman mythology, bar none. It’s easy to follow and has excellent cross-references. The cover of the dictionary says it best--- “Over 2000 entries with simple and complete explanations of classical myths, heroes, authors, works, places and symbols, including a bibliography of recommended translations of Greek and Latin prose and poetry.”
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