Books

Impressions of Greece

Insider Stories | May 2020

Born during the Spanish Civil War, author Miriam Frank was five years old when she boarded the famous Serpia Pinto in 1941, unaware that she and her mother Kate were escaping the round-ups, separations and extermination camps of Nazi Germany. By the age of 12, Miriam had fled two wars and lived in three continents and now divides her time...

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Trouble in Paradise

Culture | Apr 2020

Timothy Jay Smith’s Fire on the Island unveils the complex layers that guise the sun-drenched, bougainvillea-tinted Greek isle, blighted by declining tourism and the seemingly intractable refugee crisis. There are family feuds and a corrupt clergy. There is racism and homophobia. But there is romance, humour and mystery too! An engaging s...

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Jeff Siger: Master of Mayhem

People | Apr 2020

Crime novelist Jeff Siger – whose 'trouble in paradise' murder mysteries get under the seamy underbellies of whitewashed Greek isles, presents his 10th book in the Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis series, Island of Secrets, set in his beloved Mykonos. Congratulations! “The Mykonos Mob”—now available in paperback as “Island of Secr...

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8 Compelling Contemporary Books set in Greece

City Life | Apr 2020

Greece has been a powerful muse for countless scribes throughout the ages. Athens Insider rounds up 8 must-read contemporary tales that will help you get under Greece’s skin. Dinner with Persephone, Patricia Storace Dinner with Persephone is the product of Patricia Storace’s year spent living in Greece and provides a great ...

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Why you should read Polly Samson’s book on Hydra, A Theatre for Dreamers

Culture | Apr 2020

A brilliant read, full of humour and spontaneity, Polly Samson’s skilled writing offers a fascinating, often voyeuristic account of the sexual jealousy, alcoholism, and bohemian lifestyle that pervaded the creative set in 1960’s Hydra. Recounted through Erica, the daughter of Australia’s tragic literary couple, writers George Johnston and...

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Athenian Life in Lockdown

Insider Stories | Mar 2020

Best-selling writer Sofka Zinovieff on how she believes the pandemic will change us. Suddenly, pressing issues become irrelevant, petty problems like colouring one's hair get top billing! Time has stretched and contracted during the developing crisis with coronavirus. It is hard to believe that it was only three weeks ago that...

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Putney, a modern day Lolita partly set in Greece

People | Sep 2018

Karine Ancellin meets Sofka Zinovieff, whose latest book, Putney, set in Britain and Greece, walks into the uncomfortable centre of the #MeToo storm while questioning the free-spirited interpretation of consent and control in the ‘70s. A compelling novel by Bloomsbury, Putney has received critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. ...

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47th Book Festival in Zappeion

What's On | Sep 2018

WHAT: Book lovers, unite! In occasion of Athens’ christening as the World Book Capital of 2018, the Association of Book Publishers announces the 47th Book Festival in Zappeion. This year, the festival honors sung poetry, a wide, popularly European genre that combines literature and music. The two-week-long program includes screenings, lectures, con...