BOOKS
Essential Greek Summer Reading For nearly 40 years, the Runciman Award has been selecting the best book published during the year in English about Greece or a Greek subject. Covering every imaginable subject related to Greece from archaeology, history and myth to contemporary fiction, biography and travel writing, writer Sofka Zinovieff , who served as a judge on the panel for the second year running, reviews the books that made it into the short list. The perfect summer reading guide on all things Greek.
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eing a judge for the second year running on the Runciman Award has been an exciting, sometimes daunting, but always interesting experience. In January, my four fellow judges and I were sent the twenty-three books we had selected for the long list, with the aim of finding the best book published during the previous year in English about Greece or a Greek subject. The net hauled in an impressively broad selection of treasures, from archaeology, history and myth to contemporary fiction, biography and travel writing. Every reader brings something different to a book, depending not only on her character and experience, but mood and circumstances at the time. While it is relatively straight forward to tell if a book is well researched and original, it’s quite another to agree on whether it ‘grabs you,’ touches your heart, or deserves to be celebrated. How then, could five different people agree on a short list that should also reflect the diversity in authors and topics? I admit I was nervous before the meeting, which was held over zoom in April.
We took a long time to agree unanimously on a somewhat long short list of eight books. Each of us had to let go of some favourites, which wasn’t easy. Still, the dread that a nice group of bookish types and academics might end up hurling abuse at each other didn’t materialise and we were all delighted with our final selection. The short list is indisputably varied and includes some marvellous and inspiring writing. All the books passed the test of being accessible for the general reader and as the only novelist on the panel, I was delighted that three works of fiction (all by women) were included. I have to say I’m not looking forward to the task of letting the next seven books go, though all the judges agreed that any book on the short list would make a worthy winner. The winner will be announced on June 13, in the Great Hall of King’s College London
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