Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
International festivals may be lauding arthouse Greek films, but domestic audi-
ences prefer comedies such as box-office hitsNisos(2009) andSirens in the Ae-
gean(2005).
Few Greek films get commercial releases abroad. Recent exceptions were Tasos
Boulmetis'A Touch of Spice(2003), Pantelis Voulgaris'Brides(2004), and Yannis
Smaragdis big-budgetEl Greco(2007). Greece's most internationally acclaimed
film remains the classic 1964 Oscar winnerZorba the Greek.
Modern Greek Literature
Greek literature virtually ceased under Ottoman rule, and was then stifled by conflict
over language - ancient Greek versus the vernacular Demotic or
katharevousa
, a com-
promise between the two (
dimotiki
won in 1976).
One of the most important works of early Greek literature is the 17th-century
10,000-line epic poem 'Erotokritos', by Crete's Vitsenzos Kornaros. Its 15-syllable
rhyming verses are still recited in Crete's famous
mantinadhes
(rhyming couplets) and
put to music.
Greece's most celebrated (and translated) 20th-century novelist is the controversial
Nikos Kazantzakis, whose novels are full of drama and larger-than-life characters, such
as the magnificent title character in
Alexis Zorbas
(Zorba the Greek). Another great nov-
elist of the time, Stratis Myrivilis, wrote the classics
Vasilis Arvanitis
and
The Mermaid
Madonna
.
Eminent 20th-century Greek poets include Egypt-born Constantine Cavafy and Nobel-
prize laureates George Seferis and Odysseus Elytis, awarded in 1963 and 1979 respect-
ively.
Greece's literary giants include Iakovos Kambanellis, Alexandros Papadiamantis,
Kostis Palamas and poet-playwright Angelos Sikelianos. The plays of Yiorgos Skourtis
and Pavlos Matessis have been translated and performed abroad.
The quirky, Rebus-like Inspector Haritos in Petros Markaris' popular crime series
provides an enjoyable insight into crime and corruption in Athens.
Che Committed
Suicide
(2010),
The Late Night News
(2005) and
Zone Defence
(2007) have been trans-
lated into English.
Contemporary Writers
Greece has a prolific publishing industry but scant fiction is translated into English.
