Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GREEK POETRY
Modern Greece has an intense and dynamic poetic tradition. Two Greek poets - George Seféris
and Odysseus Elýtis - have won the Nobel prize for literature; along with C.P. Caváfy, from an
earlier generation, and Yiánnis Rítsos they are the great names of modern Greek poetry. Good
English translations of pretty much all of their work are widely available, or try these
anthologies:
Peter Bien, Peter Constantine, Edmund Keeley,
Karen Van Dyck, eds
A Century of Greek Poetry,
1900-2000
(o/p). Superb bilingual anthology, with
some lesser-known surprises alongside the big names.
Nanos Valaoritis and Thanasis Maskaleris, eds
An Anthology of Modern Greek Poetry
. English-only text,
but excellent biographical info on the poets and good
translations by two native Greek-speakers.
University professor and long-term observer of the Greek
music scene.
Anastasia Karakasidou
Fields of Wheat, Hills of Blood
.
Controversial work establishing how Macedonia only became
“Greek” politically and ethnically in the early twentieth
century, through an official Hellenization process. Initially
declined for publication by Cambridge University Press after
ultra-nationalists' threats both in Greece and the diaspora.
John Cuthbert Lawson
Modern Greek Folklore and
Ancient Greek Religion: A Study in Survivals
. Exactly as it
says: a fascinating, thorough study still applicable a century
after first publication.
Mark Mazower
Salonica, City of Ghosts: Christians,
Muslims and Jews 1450-1950
. Beautifully written book
that masterfully records how this multi-ethnic port, the
most cosmopolitan European city under Ottoman rule,
became homogeneously Greek Orthodox.
Ì
John L. Tomkinson
Festive Greece: A Calendar of
Tradition
. Copiously photographed gazetteer by date of
festivals and events; Christian, pagan, political or plain bizarre.
FOOD AND WINE
Ì
Rosemary Barron
Flavours of Greece
. The leading
Greek cookbook - among many contenders - by an
internationally recognized authority. Constantly reprinted,
with over 250 recipes and background info.
Andrew Dalby
Siren Feasts: A History of Food and
Gastronomy in Greece
;
Tastes of Byzantium: The Cuisine of a
Legendary Empire
.
Siren Feasts
demonstrates just how little
Greek cuisine has changed in three millennia; also excellent
on the introduction and etymology of common vegetables
and herbs.
Tastes of Byzantium
adds the influences of
Rome, Turkey and the Middle East.
Konstantinos Lazarakis
The Wines of Greece
. An
excellent, up-to-2005 overview of what's happening in
Greece's eleven recognized wine-producing regions.
ACTIVITIES
Lance Chilton
Various walking pamphlets
(
W
marengowalks.com). Small but thorough guides to the
best walks at various mainland and island resorts,
accompanied by three-colour maps.
Tim Salmon, with Michael Cullen
The Mountains of
Greece: A Walker's Guide
. Updated in 2006, this volume sticks
strictly to the mainland, covering mounts Pílio, Ólymbos,
Áthos, the Peloponnese and the best of the Píndhos, from
Delphi to Albania.
Loraine Wilson
The High Mountains of Crete: A Walking
and Trekking Guide
. Over eighty walks and treks, from
easy to gruelling, by the doyenne of foreign trekking
guides in Crete; trustworthy directions and prudent
warnings.
Rod Heikell
Greek Waters Pilot
. An indispensible reference
for yachting in the Aegean or Ionian seas, updated in 2011;
various regional sub-guides are available.
