Thanassis Valtinos: Early Works
From a master of modernist literature, Thanassis Valtinos, this volume collects two groundbreaking novellas that altered the trajectory of Greek fiction, together with two autobiographical short stories. Valtinos, in these early works, charts the divergent fates of his native Peloponnesian villagers through odysseys of departure and historical upheaval.
Set in the early twentieth century, The Book of Andreas Kordopatis, Part 1: America (Συναξάρι Αντρέα Κορδοπάτη. Πρώτο Βιβλίο. GIP code: 12545) records the repeated attempts of the narrator to emigrate to the U.S. Wrought from a firsthand account, it offers a revelatory view of the struggles of the undocumented in that era. The Descent of the Nine (Η Κάθοδος των Εννιά, GIP code: 12060) is a Greek Civil War drama that details the agonizing attrition of nine surviving Communist rebels left to fend for themselves in government-controlled territory. In “Addiction to Nicotine” (Εθισμός Στην Νικοτίνη GIP code: 11244) the onset of adolescence interfuses with the last stages of the leftist grip on the countryside. “Aistratigos” closes the collection with a keenly sketched portrait of a World War II veteran, whose privation — in war and affection — has led to an almost mystical reclusiveness.
In an expert, compelling translation, these tales resound with diverse and intimate voices from the great chorus of the work of Thanassis Valtinos.