Full of wit and wonder, these prose poems, meditations, and narratives
open onto rare and unexpected vistas of history and myth, language, and
the art of writing.
". . .one of the most distinguished and enigmatic of modern Greek poets,
full of Platonic wisdom. His originality of temperament is a most
singluar thing. . . .[his] new book is splendid." --Lawrence Durrell
"The purpose of the book is twofold: first, to revise certain aspects of
nationalist modernism, and secondly, to radicalize Greek modernism by
undermining continuity and tradition. . . . Valaoritis's revision
primarily concerns the continuity and validity of tradition as expressed
in the "myth of Greekness."" --Panayiotis Bosnakis, Journal of Modern
Greek Studies
Nanos Valaoritis was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1921, of Greek
parents. He has lived in Athens, Paris, and the United States. One of
Greece's most distinguished contemporary writers, he is the author of
novels, plays, and poetry, and was twice awarded the Greek national
poetry prize.