Greece - recommended reading
 

Updating my reading on Greece and currently enjoying former British Ambassador Michael Llewellyn Smith's <i>Athens</i>, from the Signal Cities of the Imagination series, Cathy Gere's <i>The Tomb of Agamemnon</i>, and looking forward to Patricia Storace's highly regarded <i>Dinner with Persephone</i>.

Does anyone have other (non travel guide) recommendations published in say the last ten years?

Thanking you

I read this book before Oprah picked it for her Book Club (typically, I don't go for Oprah's picks...), but &quot;Middlesex&quot; is an amazing read. The topic is a bit disturbing (a hermaphrodite), but the setting is the influx of Greek immigrants and a lot of related history.

Of course &quot;The Magus&quot; is such a classic....another amazing book.

As you are clearly an expert you must have heard of Mary Renault.

which was your favourite?

Chimani - you can't be referring to me, I'm not an expert on anything - haven't read Mary Renault's historical novels, but did enjoy her biography <i>The Nature of Alexander</i>.

Over to you Viajero2 and thanks for your suggestions.

Farrermog

hi farrermog

A couple more you may be interested in are:-

The Olive Grove by Katherine Kizilos

and

Eurydice Street by Sofka Zinovieff

bill

While we toured Greece this past summer, a couple of our local guides recommended Mary Renault's books as &quot;required&quot; reading. My wife ordered a couple of them off Half.com and really enjoyed them.

I stuck with the Classics Illustrated versions of the Illiad and the Odyssey (comic books :-D) along with my almost &quot;ancient&quot; college text, &quot;Bullfinch's Mythology&quot;.

I fervently second the recommendation of &quot;Eurydice Street.&quot; I have already bought and given away 3 copies!

It's by a gifted journalist (and anthropologist) of half-Greek half English background, who married a Greek press official--about moving to Athens and &quot;becoming Greek&quot;. Fascinating insight into modern Greek life PLUS interwoven understandings of influence of Ancient Greek History ... and also more modern events-- the struggle for independence, World War II etc and village life. Oh, and did i mention it's very funny as well??

I got it at Barnes &amp; Noble; not always in stock but can be obtained on short notice.

None of the following were published in the last 10 years, but then neither were Mary Renault's (excellent) books:

Eleni by Nicholas Gage

Prospero's Cell and Bitter Lemons(Corfu) and and Reflections on a marine Venus(Rhodes) by Laurence Durrell

With brotherleelove's help I have rediscovered <i>On a Greek Island</i> by Fionnuala Brennan, an Irish schoolteacher who settled on Paros for a few years with her husband and two daughters. It is a fascinating account of life on Paros in the late 70's. The family kept their home when they returned to Ireland, and still return for holidays every year.

I agree travelerjan about Eurydice Street. It is one of my favourites and, to be honest, I prefer it to Dinner with Persephone.

Have you yet read The Olive Grove? If not, give it a shot. It's well worth it.

bill

Thanks for all your suggestions. Many moons ago I did a short stint with the GNTO which encouraged an acquaintance with many of the modern classics - by Fermor, Durrell, Levi, Stoneman, Burn, Andrews, Andrewes, Boardman etc. More recently, I have read <i>The Olive Grove</i> and Byron Ayanoglu's <i>The Taste of Honey</i>; <i>Eurydice Street</i> is definitely on my list.

This post has inspired me to order a couple of these as well. Thanks for asking.

Mary Renault aside, and &quot;The Magus&quot; too, nobody has mentioned &quot;Captain Corelli's Mandolin, which might just sneak past the 10 year barrier.

The film was dire but the novel was wonderful.

Barry Unsworth also writes brilliant novels set in the Eastern Mediterranean. &quot;Pascali's Island&quot; is a &quot;Greek&quot; one, but pubished in the early 80s so you have probably already read it.

Cheers.

I recently read Barry Unsworth's
'Crete' and enjoyed it.

Have a look for Eric Newby's 'On
the Shores of the Mediterranean'
and Paul Theroux's 'The Pillars of
Hercules'.

It's been 35 years since I was last
in Greece but I'd re-read Thucydides'
'The Peloponnesian War' before I go back again.

Rob

All these are good, light reading of the &quot;setting up home in Greece&quot; variety:

The Papas and the Englishman - Roy Hounsell
The Summer of my Greek taverna - Tom Stone
The Greek for love - James Chatto
Greek Walls - John Waller
Corfu Sunset - John Waller
It's all Greek to Me - John Mole

I recommend &quot;Athens: Scenes from a Capital City&quot; by John Cleave. It is very interesting in describing the modern Athens, with nice illustrations of well-know, and some not so well-known, areas/monuments. Good, light reading that brings back many memories of wandering around the city.

I recommend two books:
&quot;The Cretan Runner&quot; by George Psychoundakis. The author was a shepherd who was runner for the Brtish during WWII. This is the story of the brave Cretan Resistance.
&quot;Eleni&quot; by Nicholas Gage. The town of Lia in northern Greece is overtaken by the Communists and Gage's mother plans to escape with her children.

The Island by Victoria Hislop.

About one families involvement with the leper colony on Spinalonga island (no, not a depressing novel, sad bits yes, but overall a great read) during its peak period and leading up to its being evacuated/closed down.

Very useful suggestions, thanks.
Like many others, I've enjoyed the travel writing of Newby and Theroux. Only wish that another favourite travel author Jonathan Raban had been a europhile.

Wasn't aware of the Unsworth Crete title, but did find Adam Hopkins' <i>Crete; its past, present &amp; people</i> very interesting.

Among other titles in the over ten year category I've enjoyed are <i>Deep into Mani</i> by Peter Greenhalgh and Edward Eliopoulos, and Ernle Bradford's <i>The Companion Guide to Greek Islands</i> and <i>The Journeying Moon</i>.

Incidentally, for anyone wanting a taste of Fermor, I can recommend Artemis Cooper's collection of his works <i>Words of Mercury</i> published in 2003. Cooper is married to the prolific historian Antony Beevor, among whose award winning works is <i>Crete: the Battle and the Resistance</i> (which I haven't read). I can recommend their co-authored <i>Paris After the Liberation, 1944-49</i>.

There's a Scottish writer called Paul Johnston, who has a series of crime novels set in the islands. Light relief but well written. He did an Edinburgh based series, and moved to Greece off the proceeds.

A Deeper Shade of Blue
The Last Red Death
The Golden Silence

If you have a look here you'll find a lot of stuff listed about Crete

http://www.explorecrete.com/crete-books-music-arts.htm

You might also find this helpful

http://www.hellenicbookservice.com/