Thanassis Valtinos ist ein gefeierter griechischer Prosaautor, dessen Werke oft in die Tiefen menschlicher Erinnerung und Geschichte eintauchen. Mit einem außergewöhnlichen Gespür für Details und Sprache erforscht er die komplexe Beziehung zwischen Vergangenheit und Gegenwart und konzentriert sich dabei häufig auf das Leben einfacher Leute in bestimmten historischen Perioden. Sein Schreiben zeichnet sich durch rohe Ehrlichkeit und die Fähigkeit aus, starke Emotionen hervorzurufen, was den Lesern einen einzigartigen Einblick in die griechische Gesellschaft bietet.
In a Greek provincial town, the central square serves as a vibrant backdrop for various scenes that reveal the historical context and evoke emotional responses. The narrative intertwines reality and imagination, exploring the intense obsessions of teenage protagonists. The new moon symbolizes themes of eroticism and fresh starts, weaving through the unfolding events. The author's craftsmanship is skillfully conveyed by experienced translators, enhancing the depth of the story.
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 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 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” 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.
Andreas Kordopatis, ein Vorreiter der modernen Arbeitsmigrantengeneration, plant um 1900 die Emigration nach Amerika. Trotz Schwierigkeiten wird ihm die Einreise verweigert, und er entscheidet sich, illegal an Land zu gehen.
