A Critical Bibliography of Materials on Greece
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 080 442 SO 006 163 AUTHOR Witzel, Anne; Chapman, Rosemary -TITLE A Critical Bibliography of Materials on Greece.. INSTITUTION Toronto Board of Education (Ontario). Research Dept. PUB DATE Jul 69 NOTE 25p.. EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29 (DESCRIPTORS *Annotated Bibliographies; Audiovisual Aids; Cultural Education; Films; Filmstrips; *Greek Civilization; *Greek Literature; Slides; Travel; Western Civilization IDENTIFIERS *Greece ABSTRACT - This critical annotated bibliography cf books on Greece is approached from a visitor's rather than a G: :'s` point of view..As it is very difficult to obtain books about mo6.-rn Greece, in English, by Greeks, it has been necessary to rely mainly upon the impressions of non-Greeks, usually Englishpen or Americans; who have lived and traveled in that country..The thirty-five book citations are dated from 1951 to 1967 and are categorized into sections on Travel, The Past, and The Present (with sections on History and Literature). Each annotation is approximately 50'words in length.. Filmstrips, slides, and films available for rent or purchase are listed..Most of the books reviewed in the bibliography are easily available in public libraries.. (OPIO rJP- CD r car; W 5 -EJSEARCH SERVICE issued by the Research Depart-nicht NCI0 HE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR THE CITY OF TORONTO U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HEALTH, NATIONAL &WELFARE INSTITUTE OF THIS EDUC A' ION DOCUMENT". HAS DUCE° BEEN REPRO THE PERSONEXACTLY A5 ATING IT OR RECEIVED FROM POINTSORGANIZATION OF ORIGIN STATED DONOT VIEW OR SENT OFFICIAL OPINIONS NECESSARILYREPRE EDUCATION NATIONAL POSITION ORINSTITUTE OF POLICY A CRITICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MATERIALS ON GREECE Anne Vitiel Rosemary Chapman Jay,1969. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. I -- BOOKS Introduction 1 Travel 3 The Past 7 The Present 10. History 10 Literature 11 Sources of Books in the Multi -Media Package on Greece 16 II -- AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS Filmstrips 17 Slides 18 Films 20 Sources of Audio Visual Materials in the Multi- ...s.adia Package on Greece 22 Z' A CRITICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BOOKS ON GREECE INTRODUCTION It has been very difficult to obtain books about modernGreece, in English, by Greeks. It has thus been necessary to rely mainly upon the impressions of non-Greeks, usually Englishmen orAmericans, who have lived and travelled in Greece., Greece has been the source of many values and traditions of Western civilization. The myths orancient,Greece have since provided inspirations for Western literature, art and music. The-experiment in democracy in ancient Athens and the unexcelled floweringof intellectual life have continued to astound the Western world even tothe present day. It is understandable then, that books aboit modernGreece must contend with ancient Greece. Writers want to show how modern Greece is a product of the past,-or else how it is not a product of thepast. In any case, those who write about Greece are puzzled and fascinatedby Greece and the Greeks. Novelists use Greece as asetting for exotic happenings.Anthro- pologists look for the roots of Western civilization amongremote tribes of Greece. Archaeologists dig in the hope of finding further cluesabout the past. Arid travellers interested in allthese aspects of Greece, write with an enthusiasm that intoxicates even those whohave never set foot in Greece. The fact remains, however, that with fewexceptions, this-bibliography gives a visitor's rather-than a Greetle pointof view. Thus, a less than whole picture of_Greece ispre'sented although many of the authors 4 have lived in Greece for many years and their opinions are as informed and valid as a foreigner's can be. Most of the books reviewed in this bibliography are easily available in public libraries. Rainbow in the Rock: The People of Rural Greece by Irwin T. Sanders Symbolically the rainbow is The Greek people and the rock, the land in which they live. This book is one of the most thorough books on Greece. <hough it concentrates on rural Greece, the other areas are not neglected. The author deals with such aspects as liveli hood, courtship and marriage, superstitions and the impact of modernization on the villages of Greece. (Sandersj I. T. Rainbow in the Rock: The People of Rural Greece. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1962.) t. _Fkaumeli: Travels in Northern Greece by Patrick Leigh Fermor This book, like the preceding one,_is mwe than a travel book. The author, is a great Grecophile. He knows Greece and Greek history well. Here he introduces the reader to the primitive Sarakatsan nomads whose way of life has barely changed in thousands of years and to remote villages and monasteries. He also informs the reader about every pertinent aspect of Greek history. The book is filled with the many memorable characters he meets on his travels. It'is a thoroughly worthwhile book. ( Fermor, P. L. Roumeli: Travels in Northern Greece. London: John Murray, 1966.) Passport to Greece by Leslie Finer This book is an excellent introduction to Greece for the tourist. The first four chapters deal with Greek society -- politics, mores, superstitions? etc. The most interesting aspect of this section of the book is the continuity which the author points out between ancient and -4 to tips aboutwhat to modern Greece. The rest of the book is devoted the reader want see, eat, drink, etc.in Greece. The entire book makes to catch the next plane toGreece. better- The book is interestinglyillustrated by one of the known Greek artists, SpirosVassilicu. Garden City, New York:Doubleday, 4964.) (Finer, L. Passport to Greece. Greece by Prejudice byDaphne Athas to Greece The author, the daughterof a Greek-American, went simple peasant village. for the first time in1958 and visited her father's the spent some This book is a record ofher experiences at that time. intriguing and time in Athens and other partsof Greece, but the most life and the author's unusual parts of the bookdeal with the village their friends. chile involv'ement with her newlydiscovered relatives and She is thus she is there, her father'srother is killed in a tornado. afterwards, Easter, themost a witness to avillage funeral; shortly The description of both important religious festival inGreece, comes. and sophisticated these rites is very moving. The author, an educated repelled ambivalent feelings about them --she is drawn in and person, has I introspection of the'bookcommunicates -at the same time. The subjectivity and modern Greece. to the reader a senseof-reality and vitality of Lippincott, 1963.) (Athas, Daphne. Greece by Prejudice. Philadelphia: The Flight of IkaroS by KevinAndrews alone through 0 Kevin Andrews spent four and ahalf years travelling second part of thecivil Greece, usually on foot. He was there during the against brother, war and after(1947-1951). Thus the horrors of brother -5- and village against village forwthe background of the book. The author knoWs and understands Greeks; he had many close friendships with very simple people; in fact, he was godfather for one family. The book gives the reader an insight into many social customs and attittudes of Greeks. The author has not bee ken in by the "beauty of poverty," nevertheless, he shows clearly the dignity of these people despite their difficult way of life. (Andrews, K. TheFlight of Ikaros. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1959.) Athenian Adventure by C. P. Lee This book is definitely a tr_vel book. The author lived in Greece for a year. .Despite the title, the author travelled to otherparts of Greece besides Athens. He discusses language, love, politics, food, religion and most of all, the people he meets. Nevertheless, it is a fairly superficial book. As the author himself admits, he never really came tc, understand the Greeks. He is less enthusiastic than Henry Miller about embracing the simplicity of poverty (see Colossus of Maroussi in the MultiMediaPackage), yet he is taken in a little by it. (Lee, C. P. Athenian Adventure. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1957.) Good -bye isGoldin The author of this book gives his discovery of Greece the format of the Odyssey so that he becomes a modern day Odysseus retracing hismaster's steps. Although it is a somewhat artificial way of organizing his book and gives the reader a picture of what is_left of ancient Greecerather than a picture of modern Greece, it is reasonably interesting. (Golding, L. Goodbye to Ithaca. London: Hutchinson and Co., 1953.) 6 Bitter Lemons by Lawrence Durrell Cyprus is an independent country, however, alarge'proportion of the islandls inhabitants -are Greek; the other national group is Turkish. Periodically the desire for union with Greece on the partof creek Cypriots explodes. Of course, the politicians often manipulate these explosions for their own purposes. In any case, no study of present day Greece is complete without a consideration of the Cyprus question. Lawrence Durrell has spent many years.in Greece and lived on Cyprus during the troubled years of 1953-1956.This is a record of those' years. It is a description of the author's life on Cyprus, thelife of" the village in which he lived and of the villagers. Although the book transcends the political questions, reading it is an excellent wayto appreciate and understar'these questions. .. (Durrell, L. Bitter Lemons. 'London: Faber and Faber, 1957.) .0" ..._ THE PAST The Greek Experience by C. M. Bowra C. M. Bowra, the famous classical scholar has written a classic on Greek culture in an admirable attempt to analyse the sourcesof ancient Greek culture, a culture which has been the model for the West ever since. He analyses the Greek attitudes and outlook on government, politics and religion, and their unique capacity for experimentation. The book requires an interest, but is well worth the effort involved in reading it.