Literature of Greece: October 2022

Submitted by AutoModerator t3_ydv58x in books

Kalos irthate readers,

This is our monthly discussion of the literature of the world! Every Wednesday, we'll post a new country or culture for you to recommend literature from, with the caveat that it must have been written by someone from that there (i.e. Shogun by James Clavell is a great book but wouldn't be included in Japanese literature).

October 28 is Ohi Day and, to celebrate, we're discussing Greek literature! Please use this thread to discuss your favorite Greek literature and authors.

If you'd like to read our previous discussions of the literature of the world please visit the literature of the world section of our wiki.

Efcharistó and enjoy!

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RecklessUnicorn12 t1_itui6a2 wrote

I'm a student of Greek language and literature so I'm very pleased with this thread! Tbh, as a student I've mostly read Modern Greek classics so I hope I'll also find some new reads here. The book I think everyone would enjoy is The Murderess by A. Papadiamantis. The book is similar to Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky but it's actually about a granny killer. It's an amazing discussion on a patriarchal society in the 19th century where women didn't have any rights. I love to see a great book by a man who writes about these topics, especially when he lived in that period!

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ulna_and_radius t1_itv5aus wrote

I studied The Murderess in high school and let me tell you, it's one of the greatest Greek stories out there! There is something so beautiful about this piece of work that captivates me even to this day.

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Torin_3 t1_ituoggu wrote

Thanks for chiming in.

> I'm a student of Greek language and literature

That is very cool. Do you mean you're a "Greek major" like someone might be an English major? Or what sort of student are you?

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RecklessUnicorn12 t1_ituridu wrote

Yup! I'm from Serbia so the sistem differs a bit, but it's basically that

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jaisaiquai t1_itv2rr2 wrote

Is the study focused on language like linguistics, or literature?

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RecklessUnicorn12 t1_itv3d1l wrote

Well, it's definitely more focused on language, but the studies are called "Modern Greek languge, literature and history" so we get to study every aspect of Greece.

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nightwatchcrow t1_itusv3o wrote

Excited to see more replies, I feel like Greek literature in English can be hard to find!

Recently I enjoyed Amanda Michelopoulou’s Why I Killed My Best Friend, a novel following two girls with a complicated friendship from their childhood in the 70s as the grow up. I think I also liked a book of short stories by the same author.

I would also recommend Ioanna Karystiani—so far I’ve read The Jasmine Isle, about the family of a sea captain living on an island as he roams the world and eventually settles down, and Back to Delphi, about a mother taking her imprisoned son on a weekend excursion. Her books have a dreamlike feel to me.

This may be just because I’m a sucker for interesting memoirs, but I also liked Melina Mercouri’s I Was Born Greek, which covers her childhood, live as a movie star, and eventual exile from her country.

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Winter_White_Ermine t1_itx411i wrote

I am a Greek author/academic.

I could suggest mainstream authors but lately, Greek fiction has had its biggest successes in the speculative genre. Authors whose work can be found online in pro magazines are: Eugenia Triantafyllou (Hugo nominee), Christine Lucas, Antony Paschos, Natalia Theodoridou, Kostas Charitos, Dimitra Nikolaidou, Victor Pseftakis etc

Also look for the Nova Hellas science fiction anthology.

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Gimmebiblio t1_itvnrd8 wrote

Love arrived a day late by Lili Zografu. It's the only book that I finished in just one day. I couldn't put it down!

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