The four books featured in this Greek reading group are all very different and yet very representative of contemporary Greek writing. Pavlos Matesis’s Graffito is a surrealist satire that mocks contemporary Greek reality with very subtle humour, while Nicos Panayotopoulos’s The Gene of Doubt is a speculative fiction allegory about writing, art and the publishing industry. Deathwind breathing on Cupela by Thanasis Triaridis is a thriller with elements of fairy tales and Greek magical realism; it is both a rite of passage novel and a religious allegory, which tells the story of the life and passions of a young teacher narrated by one of her students. Finally, Vasia Tzanakari’s Johnny and Lulu is a love story and a road trip and at the same time an honest approach to the contemporary Greek crisis by a voice that represents its generation – that of Greek 30-year-olds whose dreams have been stolen and yet who keep on dreaming.
We hope you’ll join us in reading these books. Add your comments to the author pages and we’d love to see you at our London meet-ups. Follow the links below to read more about the authors and books.
How it works
- Extracts in English are being added to this website where possible – see the relevant author’s page. Copies of the books in the original Greek may be available to borrow from And Other Stories, who can also point you to other sources. Email info@andotherstories.org stating which book you would like to read.
- Read the excerpts then comment online via the author pages.
- Come to a meet-up (usually in London) to discuss what has been read. You can be sure of a lively, well-informed discussion.
Reading period:
1 October 2012 – mid February 2013
Meet-up:
We will be meeting at the Hellenic Centre (16-18 Paddington Street, London W1U 5AS), that has very kindly offered to support us. Our meetings will take place on the following dates:
Friday 2 November 6-8 pm,
Friday 7 December 6-8 pm,
Friday 18 January 6-8 pm and
Friday 15 February 6-8 pm.