10 + 1 Books Based on Greece Want to understand Greece beyond the anecdotes your neighbor told you after his 10-day summer vacation last year? If you can’t travel there anytime soon, books are a great alternative way of getting to grips with the Greek psyche and mentality. From fiction to non-fiction, here are some books you ought to read if you are in love with Greece. Eleni Gage, North of Ithaka Eleni Gage is the daughter of Greek-American writer Nicholas Gage. The 20-something New Yorker has written an epic memoir run through with Greek folklore in North of Ithaka. The book recounts leaving her life as a journalist in Manhattan to move to her family’s godforsaken village in Epirus, an off-the-beaten-path region of Greece, to rebuild her family’s home. While the premise of the story may seem simple, it is actually quite complicated, as the family home was the scene of torture and imprisonment during the Greek Civil War, and where her paternal grandmother was killed. Gage brilliantly narrates her journey in her homeland, sharing with spirit and wit the supervision of the reconstruction, her relationships with locals and her tale of self-discovery.
Constantine Cavafy, Walking in Athens with Constantine Cavafy If you ever wonder how Athens looked at the turn of the 20th century, Walking in Athens with Constantine Cavafy is definitely a must-read. Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Egyptian-Greek poet Cavafy recounts his first visit to the Greek capital in 1901, accompanied by his brother, Alexandros. The book is a fascinating journey around Athens, which has been undergoing serious change. While many buildings he describes are still standing today, the most striking changes include the archaeological part of Athens. Offering an interesting insight into the Athens of yesteryear, the book includes a map that shows the drastic changes that followed the urban explosion and demographic boom Athens experienced during the 20th century.