I am searching for my daughter, born 1st November 1972. Can you help me?'On the beautiful beaches of Crete, an old woman is handing out scraps of paper. Sofia, eighty-five years old, unable to speak, is desperate to find a daughter she has never known. After a tragic childhood in Athens and a soaring career as a singer, the brutal treatment of the man she loved by a tyrannical regime forced her to give up her daughter mere days after her birth. Now she longs to be reunited with her child before it's too late.Meanwhile in London, Zoe is searching too. In the months since the disappearance of her teenage daughter, Zoe's life has crumbled apart. Her husband has left her, her son feels forgotten, and every day is a struggle. But Zoe is desperate to track her daughter down, even if she doesn't want to be found . . .

    . .The momentous struggle between Athens and Sparta as rival powers and political systems will last for twenty-seven years (431 to 404 BC).It will end in the fall of a dynasty.Filled with cunning political scheming and astonishing military prowess, invasions and treacheries, plagues and slaughters, passion and power, Conn Iggulden brings to life one of the most thrilling chapters of the ancient world.

    Will Lottie's search lead to love?When a special anniversary takes Lottie on a journey to find the little boy she once knew, it's a chance to put heartache behind her.Lottie's search takes her to Greece and a family who have known about her for decades. A warm welcome gives her some much-needed time out and the chance to reflect. Yet an emotional revelation and two handsome but complicated brothers make her question her past decisions. Learning to love herself and be content on her own is the first step. But will Lottie be able to follow her heart and find lasting happiness?

    But she would protect them with her life… Corfu 1943. Though they don’t know it, five-year-old Matilde and three-year-old Anna have kissed their mother for the last time. The Nazis have reached their sun-scorched home, and they are being taken to a place of safety, on the north-eastern tip of the rocky island, to be hidden at great risk by kindly Agata and her husband until the terrible war is over. Matilde and Anna’s tears are soothed by Agata’s bedtime stories, but she is always alert. So far no soldiers have ventured down the steep rocky hillside to their secret haven, but Agata knows they are constantly scouring the island for missing Jews. And then, on a day when Agata’s husband is away, a German soldier appears… 2016. Under a baking June sun, Amber and her husband arrive in Corfu from England, hoping for a fresh start. But not everyone is pleased by their arrival, and with the pressures of pregnancy, the couple grow further apart. Desperate to find a sense of belonging for herself and her unborn child, Amber finds herself drawn to the local story of two little girls, left by their parents and hidden for their own protection. But there are some who would rather Amber left Corfu’s terrible history well in the past. Can Amber uncover the heart-breaking truth about the two little girls, and what happened after a German soldier took a swim in the bay by their house? If she does, can the secrets of the past help her find happiness, or send her running from the island, alone? A gripping, heart-wrenching and compelling read about the shadows at the heart of the sun-drenched island of Corfu and survival against all odds. Fans of Victoria Hislop, The Nightingale and The Tattooist of Auschwitz will fall in love with Burning Island. Readers are hooked on Burning Island: ‘Two tragic stories, both equally well told. I couldn't put the book down. The book will keep you reading until the end. It is exciting and tragic at the same time. It will keep you on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what happens next. This is one book you will not want to miss. I recommend it.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Told in two different time periods, this is a story that will leave you in tears, as humanity is exposed at its very worst, but also its very best’ Cayo Costa, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I really enjoyed this book. I found the juxtaposition between the two story lines very interesting and captivating… Both storylines cross in a beautiful and unexpected way, drawing Amber, Anna, and Matilde closer and giving them an even deeper appreciation for their lives.’ Goodreads Reviewer Readers are hooked on Suzanne Goldring: ‘It made me cry at so many points... It left me completely hooked and towards the end I just couldn’t put the book down!’ Stardust Book Reviews, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I could not put this book down, and heaven help anyone that tried to disturb my reading!! I absolutely loved this book! I laughed, I cried, I cheered... what a fantastic read.

    On October 28th, 1940, Mussolini provides Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas with an ultimatum: either allow Axis forces to occupy their country, or face war, and Greece's response is swift. "Oxi!" they say. "No!" In a small village nestled against the radiant waters of the Aegean Sea, we find Alexei, the son of a local fisherman, and his best friend Costa, who were both born on the same night eighteen years earlier and have been like brothers ever since, though now, like all the other young men in their village and throughout Greece, they will leave their homes to bravely fight for their country. But before they go, Alexei asks Philia, the girl that he's loved his entire life, to marry him, which sets into motion the events which will change the lives of these three and their family and friends forever, and begins an epic and unforgettable story of courage, survival, sacrifice, the strength of the human spirit, and of a love and friendship that will echo across time and generations. A spellbinding novel and sweeping romance that performs the remarkable feat of creating action-packed scenes, characters that we care deeply about, and revealing in vivid detail the untold true story of how Greece helped the Allies to win World War II, Once We Were Here is an unforgettable tale that pays tribute to the brave men and women who fought and gave everything for their country, for each other, and for freedom.

    Expat Bronte McKnight is in the early days of her love affair with charismatic doctor Leonidas Papachristou. But as Bronte tries to live and love like a Greek, the economic crisis spawns an unlikely predator in the village. While she begins to question her sunny existence in Greece, an old love from Leonidas’s past also makes a troubling appearance. Now working as a freelance journalist, when Bronte is offered an interview with a famous novelist, and part-time expat, it seems serendipitous. But the encounter becomes a puzzle that takes her deep into the wild Mani region of the southern Peloponnese, for which she enlists the help of her maverick father Angus, and the newest love of her life, Zeffy, the heroic rescue dog. The challenges Bronte faces bring dramatic as well as humorous outcomes as she tries to find a foothold in her Greek paradise. But can she succeed?

    Two ancient lakes joined by underground rivers. Two lakes that seem to hold both the turbulent memories of the region’s past and the secret of its enduring allure. Two lakes that have played a central role in Kapka Kassabova’s maternal family.As she journeys to her grandmother’s place of origin, Kassabova encounters a historic crossroads. The lakes are set within the mountainous borderlands of North Macedonia, Albania, and Greece, and crowned by the old Via Egnatia, which once connected Rome to Constantinople. A former trading and spiritual nexus of the southern Balkans, this lake region remains one of Eurasia’s most diverse corners. Meanwhile, with their remote rock churches, changeable currents, and large population of migratory birds, the lakes live in their own time.By exploring on water and land the stories of poets, fishermen, and caretakers, misfits, rulers, and inheritors of war and exile, Kassabova uncovers the human destinies shaped by the lakes. Setting out to resolve her own ancestral legacy, Kassabova locates a deeper inquiry into how geography and politics imprint themselves upon families and nations, one that confronts her with universal questions about human suffering and the capacity for change.

    In the space of a single horrendous day, Merry’s boss kicks her out to pasture, her husband ditches her for a barely legal floozy, and she decides to end it all. (But she doesn’t have cancer, no matter what her doctor says, so at least she’s got that going for her.)Determined to hurl herself into an early grave, Merry flies home to Greece for one last hurrah. But Greece has other plans for Merry, and before long she enthusiastically decides to give living one more shot.Too bad she no longer has any say in the matter.

    Through an arduous and eventful childhood he catapults toward an end that will eternalize him and his people, and at the heart of a conspiracy he ventures toward an abrupt and historic death.

    

    In terms of population, economy and military power each individual kingdom was vastly superior to Rome, not to mention in fields such as medicine, architecture, science, philosophy and literature.Philip Matyszak relates how, over the next two-and-a half centuries, Rome conquered and took over these kingdoms while adopting so much of Hellenistic culture that the resultant hybrid is known as 'Graeco-Roman'Refreshingly, the story is largely told from the viewpoint of the Hellenistic kingdoms. At the outset, the Romans are little more than another small state in the barbarian west, and less of a consideration than the Scythians or Jews. Much of the narrative therefore focuses on the 'game of thrones' between the Hellenistic powers, a tale of assassinations, double crosses, dynastic incest and warfare. As the Roman threat grows, however, it belatedly becomes the primary concern of the kingdoms as the legions destroy them one by one.

    Join her on a journey through abandoned villages and farms, cave-houses and captains' mansions, the homes of displaced Muslim fishermen and poets, as she discovers beauty in the ruins, emptiness and silence, and inspiration in the stories of people's lives.A long-term resident of Greece, Jennifer Barclay spent more than four years researching Wild Abandon, visiting islands multiple times and hearing the stories of local people. She travels from the very west to the very east of the Dodecanese, from the very south almost to the very north, taking in some of the smallest and the biggest islands, and highlighting different stories along the way to show the complex history behind these havens of tranquillity. She discovers a villa intended for Benito Mussolini's retirement, an island that links a gramophone from St Petersburg and a portrait in the American National Gallery via a pack of cigarettes, and reflects on the days when an economy based on sponges and burnt rock supported thousands.She also learns of connections with America: the painter from Kalymnos whose self-portrait hangs in the American National Gallery and the man in Kasos who was supposed to be painting the World Trade Center on 9/11. Inside a trunk in an abandoned house she finds a note with a hand-written address in New York. And she hears of the diaspora who made America their home: those from Nisyros who moved to New York, from Karpathos who settled in Baltimore, and from Halki and other islands who make Tarpon Springs, Florida the city with the highest percentage of Greek Americans in the United States.Wild Abandon is an elegy in praise of abandoned places and a search for lost knowledge through the wildest and most deserted locations.

    

    In these 24 compelling lectures, Professor Garland guides you in a richly illuminating exploration of what the ancient Greeks have given us, and why they're still important to us today.This course delves into the origins of Greek civilization, the great Classical and Hellenistic periods, and takes you through the succeeding epochs of the Roman and Byzantine eras to the Renaissance, culminating with Greece's dramatic modern history.You'll discover the elements of Greek culture that have so deeply imprinted the west in examples such as: ●1●The Phenomenon of Hellenism - Learn how Greek culture flowered during the Classical Age, then spread through Alexander's conquests across the Mediterranean world.●2●Athenian Democracy - Grasp the features of democracy as it arose in Athens in the 5th century BCE as a bold political experiment.●3●Religion and the Olympians - Explore the nature of Greek religious belief, and the panoply of gods and goddesses, from Zeus, Apollo, and Dionysus to Athena, Aphrodite, and Persephone.●4●Greek Drama, Literature, and Philosophy - Study the plays of Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophocles, and Aristophanes; the essence of Homer's great epic poems; and the seminal ideas of philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.●5●Sculpture, Painting, and Architecture - Survey the techniques and aesthetics of Greek sculpture; discover the superlative qualities of Greek vase painting; and study the elements of Greek architecture that have so deeply impacted Western architecture and art.'THE GREEK WORLD' offers you a multilevel immersion in greek civilization, and an unforgettable view of the civilization, and unforgettable view of the extraordinary power ancient Greece exerts over the Western imagination.RUNNING TIME ⇒ 12hrs. and 44mins.

    *Attained 29th place on the hourly 'Top 100 Amazon Best Sellers - Literary Short Stories' list*Sometimes all that separates humanity from mere human existence… is only a thread.Jade is a prisoner; of far more things than the unconventional cell keeping her incarcerated within the innermost parts of a world that treats empathy as a despicable crime.When the odds of being set free seem as thin as a thread, one can only hope for a different kind of liberation: that of the mind from the shackles of a hurtful past.The question is, how? YT-79605 is a contemporary short story bound to immerse you in its dystopian world.

    . . and very, very long. What is the locals’ secret?” from The Island of Long Life by Andrew AnthonyFew countries have received more media attention in recent years and even fewer have been represented in such vastly divergent ways. There’s a downside to all this attention: everyone seems to have something final to say about Greece. News headlines replace people’s individual stories, impressions substitute facts, characters take the place of people. In this volume of The Passenger, we chose to set those opinions aside in order to give to the stories, facts, and people of Greece the dignity and centrality they deserve.

    So when she’s sent to write a magazine article about the Greek island of Ikaria, it seems the perfect escape. The locals there are reported to be among the happiest and longest-living in the world. The island has a secret, one that Sophie is determined to uncover . . . Travelling to Crete, from where her family originates, Sophie begins to suspect there are more secrets closer to home. Her aunt Maritsa begins to recount the story of her own heartache as a teenage girl facing cruel hardships in rural Greece. A story of love, betrayal and revenge, it will change Sophie’s life forever. One Summer in Crete is a gloriously sunny book by Nadia Marks.

    Hades escapes his father's clutches and struggles to find his destiny, one that is far greater than his birthright.

    True, Athens hardly commanded the number of allies it had when hegemon of its fifth-century Delian League or even its fourth-century Naval Confederacy, and its navy was but a shadow of its former self. But Athens recovered from itsperilous position in the closing quarter of the fourth century and became once again a player in Greek affairs, even during the Roman occupation. Athenian democracy survived and evolved, even through its dealings with Hellenistic Kings, its military clashes with Macedonia, and its alliance withRome. Famous Romans, including Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, saw Athens as much more than an isolated center for philosophy. Athens After Empire offers a new narrative history of post-Classical Athens, extending the period down to the aftermath of Hadrian's reign.

    Imprisoned three times during the Junta (1967-1974) and persecuted by Greek judges as late as the 1980s, this poet and "urban folklorist" produced a vast and groundbreaking oeuvre that continues to provoke extreme reactions from readers.Wielding his precise and provocative style on subject matter ranging from prison life, rebetika music, gay slang, traditional food and public hygiene, to the sociology of brothels, newspaper stands, moustaches, canes and gravestones, Petropoulos aggressively and rigorously challenged the narrow ways in which Greek culture was perceived.After arriving in Paris from the island of Samos in 1977, the American writer, critic and translator John Taylor tacked up a want ad in a Greek bookshop because he was seeking a collaborator for a translation project. Petropoulos, who emigrated to France in 1975, answered the want ad, and thus began a close working relationship that lasted until the author's death in 2003.This insider's portrait features translated excerpts of Petropoulos's writings, and discusses his ideas and methodology, woven together with touching reminiscences and observations about the man behind the sulphurous reputation. It is the first book to appear in English that deals so thoroughly and poetically with this enfant terrible of Modern Greek letters.

     Marianna Leivaditaki was brought up in Chania on the Greek island of Crete. Her father is a fisherman and she spent most of her childhood evenings in her family's seafood restaurant, standing on a chair peeling sacks of potatoes and gutting and de-scaling the day's catch. By day she would carry her blue notebook, writing down the recipes she would like to prepare for her family and the kitchen wisdom of the Greek grannies she knew. In Crete, the water gives fish and seafood that is cooked simply, the land bears fruit and vegetables that are served as main meals and the mountains offer game and herbs that are an irresistible delicacy. Aegean will feature sunny dishes that marry the sea and the land with the region's wild foods - but will also reflect the fact that Marianna lives and works in London, and embrace ingredients and influences that come from the wider Mediterranean. Like eating at Morito - where the emphasis is on making people feel welcome - the recipes will be approachable and homely, for sharing with friends and family.Including Seared Squid with Rocket, Sheep's Cheese & Lemon, Cretan Pie with Greens, Courgette Fritters, .and Red Wine Ice Cream with Raisins and Almonds, this is contemporary cooking that celebrates the simplicity and integrity of Cretan cooking.Shot on location in Crete, this book is a feast for the senses.

    Watched by Mussolini himself, on 9 March 1941 the Italians launched their Spring Offensive, designed to stem four months of humiliating reverses. The objective was a pair of parallel valleys dominated by the Greek-held Hill 731 that had to be taken at all costs.The Italian Eighth Corps, part of Geloso's 11th Army, had the task of seizing the heights, spearheaded by 38 (Puglie) Division. Holding the position was the Greek 1 Division of II Corps, with 4 and 6 Division on the flanks.For 17 days, after a massive artillery barrage (which reduced the hill's height by 6 metros), the Italians threw themselves with great courage against the Evzones on the hill, to be repeatedly smashed with appalling losses. It was an Iwo Jima-type merciless fight at close quarters, where bayonets held the place of honor but the battered Greeks held.Mussolini had wanted a spring victory to impress the Fuhrer. Instead, the bloody debacle of Hill 731 could well have contributed to Hitler's decision to postpone his invasion of Russia by at least four weeks, a costly delay.

    As a parody of epic battle narrative it is quite unlike anything else that survives in full from antiquity; however, despite itspopular and influential reception throughout much of history from the Roman period onwards, the advent of the twentieth century saw it largely dismissed and overlooked as a curio.This volume presents a new critical edition of the poem, comprising an introduction, Greek text and English verse translation, and line-by-line commentary, which aims to rehabilitate its image and return it to the centre of scholarly attention by mapping out the wide range of metaliterary jokes, references, and parodies concealed within the apparently simple and childish story. The Greek text is entirely new, based on a fresh collation of the nine most important early manuscripts as well as on the work of previous editors. All verses which appear in these manuscripts are included - thosewhich do not belong in the main text are presented separately at the foot of each page - and are accompanied by a full apparatus criticus and a new facing verse translation, which aims to strike a balance between precision and readability. A comprehensive introduction thoroughly orients readers inthe poem's historical and literary context, covering its (highly uncertain) date and disputed authorship, its relationship with the wider genre of 'parody', its language and metre, and its reception and influence up to the present day, among other topics. The commentary forms the largest part of thevolume, offering detailed discussion of linguistic, stylistic, and thematic questions, as well as guiding readers through the complex network of references to Homer and Hellenistic poetry and breaking down the textual problems for which the poem is so notorious.

    Attributed by the ancients to Homer, these prooimia, or preludes, were actually composed by various poets over centuries. They were performed at religious festivals as entertainment meant to stir up enthusiasm for far more ambitious compositions that followed them, namely the Iliad and Odyssey. Each of the thirty-three poems is written in honor of a Greek god or goddess. Together, the hymns provide a fascinating view into the ancients' view of deities.In this long-awaited third edition of his acclaimed translations of the hymns, Apostolos Athanassakis preserves the vigor and the magic of the ancient text while modernizing traditional renditions of certain epithets and formulaic phrases. He avoids lengthening or truncating lines, thereby crafting a symmetrical text, and makes an effort to keep to an iambic flow without sacrificing accuracy. Athanassakis enhances his classic work with a new index of names and topics, updated bibliography, revised genealogical charts, and careful and selective changes in the translations themselves. An expanded introduction addresses ancient reception of the hymns. Numerous additions to the notes, reflecting over twenty-five years of scholarship, draw on modern anthropological and archaeological research to explore prominent themes and religious syncretism within the poems. These materials all enrich the reader's experience of these ancient and influential poems.A perennial classroom favorite, The Homeric Hymns embodies thrilling new visions of antiquity.

    A powerful exploration of the ties that bind, Beneath the Fig Leaves is a rich tapestry of family, food and history to stir the heart and senses.