Best Books from Greece
Greece gave Western literature its founding texts: the Homeric epics, the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, the comedies of Aristophanes, the philosophical dialogues of Plato. Modern Greek literature has lived in the long shadow of that inheritance, but has found its own voices in the surrealist poetry of Odysseas Elytis and Giorgos Seferis — both Nobel laureates — and in the realistic and modernist fiction of Nikos Kazantzakis, whose Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ found global audiences.
Top 10 from Greece
The Odyssey
Odysseus navigates gods, monsters, and the fury of Poseidon on his ten-year journey home from the Trojan War to Ithaca and his faithful wife Penelope. Homer's epic poem is the foundational adventure story of Western literature, explored in translation by Fitzgerald, Fagles, and Wilson.
The Iliad
The rage of Achilles and the final weeks of the Trojan War are the subject of Homer's first and greatest epic. The Iliad is the foundational text of Western literature—a profound meditation on war, honour, fate, and the relationship between mortals and gods.
Anaphora ston Gkreko
A remarkable work of biography and memoir, Anaphora ston Gkreko by Nikos Kazantzakis (1961) offers unprecedented insight into an extraordinary life.
Iaponia - Kina
Published in 1938, Iaponia - Kina by Nikos Kazantzakis is a captivating work of travel writing that transports readers to extraordinary places.
Ispania
Ispania (1901) by Nikos Kazantzakis is a vivid and immersive account of exploration that captures the spirit of adventure.
Ho kapetan Michalēs
Ho kapetan Michalēs (1901) by Nikos Kazantzakis is a compelling work of historical fiction that blends fact and imagination to illuminate another era.
Vios ke Politia tou Alexi Zorba
Vios ke Politia tou Alexi Zorba (1952) establishes Nikos Kazantzakis as a significant voice in literary fiction, weaving together themes of identity, memory, and transformation.
Back to the moon
Back to the moon (1999) by Homer H. Hickam is a vivid and immersive account of exploration that captures the spirit of adventure.
Man and his gods
Man and his gods (1952) by Homer William Smith is a thoughtful and illuminating work on faith, meaning, and the spiritual dimensions of human life.
Beyond the atmosphere
Published in 1980, Beyond the atmosphere by Homer Edward Newell is a captivating work of travel writing that transports readers to extraordinary places.
