| Books
about/set in Greece, the Greek Islands and Cyprus
- Ancient
Greece
- Modern Greece
- Greek Islands
- Cyprus
- Films
Ancient
Greece
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The legendary
Homer is the single greatest figure in ancient Greek
literature. To read a brief article about him, his times
and his works, click here.
The Iliad and The Odyssey are not only
classics of mammoth proportions, they are thrilling
tales of heroism, glory and moral dilemmas. Although
these epic stories were composed in approximately 850
BC, they are still relevant and gripping today. |
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The
Iliad
by Homer
Achilles and his struggles, both external and internal,
during the Trojan War.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon. |
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The
Odyssey
by Homer
Odysseus's ten-year journey home after the Trojan War.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon. |
Recommended by: Helen, teacher at JMJ |
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| The following
two books are samples of Greek tragic drama. There are
many other plays by many other writers but I have chosen
these because I saw my sister, back in the days when
she was a professional actress, in the roles of Antigone
(in the play of that name) and Klytemnestra (in The
Oresteia). Greek tragedy may not be everyone's idea
of a good time but I don't think anyone could call it
dull. |
Georgie, Director of JMJ |
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The
Three Theban Plays: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oedipus
at Colonus
by Sophocles
Classic Greek tragedies.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon. |
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The Oresteia: Agamemnon,
The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides
by Aeschylus
A trilogy of tragedies.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon. |
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The Metamorphoses
by Ovid
Although Ovid was Roman, his classic
poem should be included on this page because of his
wonderful recounting of Greek (as well as Roman) myths.
There's more to The Metamorphoses than simply story-telling
but it is great to read at that level too. Just don't
expect happy endings.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Helen |
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Greek Gods and Heroes
by Robert Graves
The main myths, retold in an accessible and entertaining
style.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon. |
Recommended by: Helen |
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The Voyage of Argo
by Apollonius of Rhodes The exciting adventures
of Jason and the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden
Fleece.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Helen |
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Republic
by Plato A weighty work of philosophy, elaborating
the author's views on democracy, justice and other social
issues. Quite heavy going but worth the effort.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Tony, student at JMJ |
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The Trial and Death
of Socrates: Four Dialogues
by Plato Plato's recreation of what happened
to his teacher.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended
by: Tony |
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Sophie's World:
A Novel About the History of Philosophy
by Jostein Gaarder OK, this
is not Greek. But it does give easy access to the main
strands of philosophy through the millennia and an overview
of early Greek thinking.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Georgie |
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Aesop's Fables
by Aesop Marvellous tales of wisdom from the
former Greek slave.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Georgie |
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| Modern
Greece |
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Eleni
by Nicholas Gage
A harrowing, riveting, true story about
the Greek Civil War. Eleni Gatzoyiannis was tortured
and murdered for trying to protect her children - one
of whom has written this reconstruction of events.
This book is deeply distressing but
also hopeful and it certainly teaches you a lot about
what the Greeks went through while we in Britain were
enjoying the Second World War being over.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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North of Ithaka
by Eleni Gage Nicholas's daughter,
also called Eleni, leaves her home in New York and goes
to live in her grandmother's ruined house.
Another beautifully written, very moving
book. I highly recommend it, particularly after having
read "Eleni" first.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon. |
Recommended
by: Henrietta, student at JMJ |
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Eurydice Street:
A Place in Athens
by Sofka Zinovieff A foreigner's view of contemporary
Athens. Well observed, accurate and entertaining.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Nick, student at JMJ |
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Learn Greek in 25
Years: A Crash Course for the Linguistically Challenged
by Brian Church Not a teach-yourself book:
more a look at Greek life through the prism of the language.
Brian Church is a cult journalist on the Athens News
and this is a collection of some of his weekly columns.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Sarah, student at JMJ |
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Always on a Sunday:
An Englishman in Greece - The Best and Worst of Church
on Sunday
by Brian Church A follow-up to the previous
book.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Greece on the Couch
by Mark Dragoumis Another Athens
News journalist looks at his country from the standpoint
of a psychiatrist analysing a client.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Sarah, student at JMJ |
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| Greek
Islands |
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Cretan
Nikos Kazantzakis (1883-1957) is one of the most famous
Greek writers of modern times. He wrote a variety of
novels, most of which have been translated into many
languages and read by millions. For more information
about him, see his
Wikipedia entry. |
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Christ Recrucified
by Nikos Kazantzakis Just as
the country where Jesus grew up was ruled by the Romans,
so nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Greece is
ruled by the Turks. The residents of a village put on
a Passion play every year and the part each person plays
is a constant influence on his or her life. When a large
group of refugees arrives, needing food and shelter,
the actors' Christian principles are put to the test.
A wonderful book, both as its own story
and as an allegory. I loved it.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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The Last Temptation
by Nikos Kazantzakis The human
side of Jesus. Yes, Martin Scorsese's controversial
film was based on this book but, if you didn't like
that film, don't let it put you off this book. As a
Christian myself, I feel our faith can take it and I
was stimulated by being made to think about these issues.
Actually, this is no more "offensive" (if
that's how you see it) than The Da Vinci Code.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Zorba the Greek
by Nikos Kazantzakis Perhaps
Kazantzakis's best-known book, at least in Britain.
Alexis Zorba shows a buttoned-up young Englishman how
to shake off his inhibitions and start enjoying himself.
Made into a film that was huge in its
day (see below).
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Georgie |
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Tales from a Greek
Island
by Alexandros Papadiamantis Twelve short stories,
written and set in Skiathos at the turn of the twentieth
century.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Rosie, student at JMJ |
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Captain Corelli's
Mandolin
by Louis de Bernières A
powerful story (much better than the film) about Kephalonia
during the Italian occupation of World War Two.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Jeremy, student at JMJ |
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The Magus
by John Fowles A young Englishman
takes a job on a Greek island and ends up embroiled
in a bizarre adventure. I read this twenty years ago
and it made a deep impression on me, so that I still
remember a great deal of it.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Georgie |
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The Island
by Victoria Hislop An involving
story about the leper colony off Crete, starting three
generations ago - not as depressing as it sounds! It
confronts some serious issues and taught me a lot about
the history and culture of Crete. It's not literature
but definitely worth reading. I really enjoyed it.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Georgie |
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The Greek for
Love
by James Chatto This
memoir of a young Englishman and his Canadian wife settling
down to live in a remote village in Corfu in the early
1980s gives a strong sense of the island's culture and
lifestyle. The tragic ending to the story makes this
book different from and deeper than most in the let's-live-in-the-sun
genre.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Georgie |
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This Rough Magic
by Mary Stewart A nice, romantic adventure
set in Corfu.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon. |
Recommended by: Georgie |
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My Family and Other
Animals
by Gerald Durrell In the 1930s,
Gerald Durrell's parents take him and his brothers and
sisters to live in Corfu, where he gets thoroughly involved
with the wildlife.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Helen |
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Prospero's Cell
by Lawrence Durrell A view of Corfu from Gerald's
more serious brother.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon. |
Recommended by: Helen |
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The Tempest
by William Shakespeare This
play, in which Prospero and his daughter Miranda are
exiled from Milan to Corfu, has inspired untold numbers
of later works - including several on this page.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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| Cyprus |
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Divided Cyprus:
Modernity, History, and an Island in Conflict
by Yiannis Papadakis, Nicos Peristianis, Gisela Welz
Published in August 2006, this collection of essays
assesses the current situation in Cyprus and puts it
in historical context.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Echoes from the
Dead Zone: Across the Cyprus Divide
by Yiannis Papadakis A Greek Cypriot explores
Turkey and returns enlightened to contemplate the division
of his country.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Belinda, student at JMJ |
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Bitter Lemons of
Cyprus
by Lawrence Durrell First published in 1957,
this book describes Durrell's life in Cyprus as the
tension builds between the island's Greek and Turkish
communities.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Alex, student at JMJ |
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| Films |
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Zorba the Greek
(1964) Actors: Anthony Quinn, Alan Bates, Irene
Papas
Director: Michael Cacoyannis
Format: Black and White
Certificate: PG
An inhibited young Englishman learns how to enjoy himself
from his Greek friend Zorba.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended by: Jeremy, student at JMJ |
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Never On Sunday
(1960) Starring: Melina Mercouri
Director: Jules Dassin
Format: Black and White
Certificate: 18
A prostitute deals with two men who profess to love
her.
Click here
to buy this now from Amazon.
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Recommended
by: Jeremy |
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| Inspired to learn
Greek? Have
a look at our introduction
to the Greek language.
Looking for more Greek literature?
To find more books written by Greeks
and translated into English, have a look at Bibliagora,
a Greek online bookshop operating in the UK.
Back
to Recommended Reading
|
