The musician and co-owner of the Erma Bookstore reads, selects, and recommends
The Greek summer—the one poets sing about and people long for—is, above all, rhythm! It is the rhythm of calm waves, of a serene sunset, of a gentle murmur. It is the rhythm that counterbalances the laborious daily grind of work. Within it, everything is manageable and peaceful, almost ritualistic, like the undisturbed reading of a good book…
*The Epirus Lament* (published by Doma) by Christopher King, who was born in Virginia, USA. The author—a trained philosopher, Grammy Award winner, and editor of dozens of anthologies of pre-war music—embarks on a journey through the history and evolution of Epirus music. He begins by recounting his “novelistic” introduction to the music and landscape of Epirus. Then, with the passion of someone in love—in this case, with Epirote music—he sets out to highlight the elements and characteristics that make the music of Epirus a vibrant, global phenomenon, particularly in terms of its social function and the values it embodies. It is difficult to classify this book into any single category. Some have called it a philosophical treatise, others a musicological work, and so on… King himself, who now lives permanently in Epirus, described it as “a love letter to the music and people of Epirus”…
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The “Dangerous Woman” Who Shaped Virginia Woolf’s Life and Work
Albert Camus’s *The Stranger* (published by Kastaniotis) is now a classic. And like all classics, it remains a timeless, enduring read. On various occasions, however—such as the release of a film based on the novel—interest in it is rekindled. The book’s protagonist is Meursault, a man emotionally detached, who is moved by almost nothing, yet lives, functions, and exists just like everyone else. He kills an Arab and is sentenced to death. His punishment stems from his inability to prove that he has repented, or even that his conscience is weighed down by his act. Until his execution, he turns neither to God nor does he ask for mercy—not out of ideological integrity, but rather out of indifference! Camus claims that his hero dies for the truth, and this is the hardest part to understand… Not as far as Meursault is concerned, but as far as Camus is concerned…
The “Moundon Monastery” (published by Alpha Pi) in the village of Dieucha on Chios is a deserted monastery, abandoned for decades and on the verge of collapse, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. The monastery’s katholikon—that is, the main church—is adorned with stunning frescoes. These frescoes, which depict, among other things, scenes from the Old Testament, the life of Christ, figures of saints, and more—are the work of an unknown painter who decorated the church after 1822, following its destruction by the Turks. Local author Stylianos Gialias wrote about the monastery and the stunning iconographic decoration of the katholikon with the aim of raising funds for the monastery’s preservation.
*The Guilty One* (published by Rizés) is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand what took place in 1974. It is the revised edition of the long-term investigation by journalists Michalis Ignatiou and Kostis Venizelos, which was first published in 2002 under the title “The Secret Archives of Kissinger.” Drawing on a wealth of documents and other evidence, the two journalists highlight, among other things, the catalytic role played by the then-head of U.S. diplomacy in developments concerning Cyprus. They refer to the “invisible hand” that manipulated the willing fools in Cyprus and Greece, and, among other things, in this revised edition, they reveal “Nixon’s classified letter to Ecevit,” which never reached its destination.
