Greece In Foreign Fiction
Louis de Bernieres Captain Corelli's Mandolin (Minerva; Random House). Set on Kefallonia during the World War II occupation, this accomplished 1994 tragicomedy quickly acquired cult, then word-of-mouth bestseller status, but has lately become a succes de scandale . When the islanders, Greek Left intellectuals and surviving Italian partisans woke up to its virulent anti-communism and disparaging portrayal of ELAS, there was a furore, with de Bernieres eventually obliged to eat large quantities of humble pie in the UK press. It also seems the novel is closely based on the experiences of still-alive-and-kicking Amos Pampaloni, an artillery captain on Kefallonia in 1942-44 who later joined ELAS, and who accuses de Bernieres of distorting the roles of both Italians and ELAS on the island. The Greek translation has been suitably abridged to avoid causing offence, and the Big Movie (starring Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz), watered down to a pallid love story as a condition for filming on the island, sank without trace after a few weeks in 2001. John Fowles The Magus (Vintage; Dell). Fowles' biggest and best novel: a tale of mystery and manipulation - plus Greek island life - inspired by his stay on Spetses as a teacher, in the 1950s. Olivia Manning The Balkan Trilogy, vol 3: Friends and Heroes (Mandarin, UK). In which Guy and Harriet Pringle escape from Bucharest to Athens, in the last months before the invasion of 1941. Wonderfully observed and moving. Mary Renault The King Must Die; The Last of the Wine; The Masks of Apollo (Sceptre; Random House) and others (all Penguin). Mary Renault's imaginative reconstructions are more than the adolescent's reading they're often taken for, with impeccable research and tight writing. The trio above retell, respectively, the myth of Theseus, the life of a pupil of Socrates and that of a fourth-century BC actor. The life of Alexander the Great is told in Fire from Heaven, The Persian Boy and Funeral Games , available separately or in one economical volume. Catherine Temma Davidson The Priest Fainted (The Women's Press, UK). An autobiographical novel in which a Greek-Jewish-American woman tries to find her level in 1980s Athens, and the countryside, and also uncovers what made her mother flee the country three decades before. Lyrical, and a sense of humour not dissimilar to fellow-poet Storace's. Evelyn Waugh Officers and Gentleman (Penguin). This volume of the wartime trilogy includes an account of the Battle of Crete and subsequent evacuation.
Kavourotrypes beach.kostas says "An excellent,fantastic,superb beach in Sithonia peninsula of Chalkidiki.Its about half an hour trip from Porto Coufo by car.Its a mixed beach,for ordinary peolple and for nudists!Try a visit there." Tour Greece On Line (Video + Stills)David Mundstock says "My film "I Follow Apollo” presents the highlights of Greece, including Athens, Olympia, Meteora, Sparta, the Byzantine Empire, and a cruise to the islands of Mykonos, Santorini, Crete, & Rhodes, plus Ephesus in Turkey.
The video can be seen on the web, if you have a high speed internet connection.
This is a free, non-commercial, streaming video on the Windows Media Player. No ads and no strings attached. I sell absolutely nothing.
With any modem you can view a new gallery of still pictures from my trip to Greece.
There are over 30 of my other amateur travel videos on-line including trips to China, Russia, Antarctica, Italy, the UK, Australia, Hawaii, Peru, Mayan pyramids, and Turkey; see whales, penguins, or polar bears
The planet is yours, including my Home Page giant galaxy of still pictures.
To watch the videos or view the stills, please ask a search engine for: Intrepid Berkeley Explorer" tramadoltramadol says "tramadol" ultramultram says "ultram"
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