5. The Feast of Saint Ilías: Celebration for the prophet Elijah (“Ilías” in Greek) held on July 20. Early in the history of Eastern Christianity Elijah, from the book of Kings in the Hebrew Bible, was proclaimed the patron saint of mountaintops and venerated in small churches, often erected on the foundations of former shrines to Zeus.
6. Lighting the oil candles: A service often performed by women in small neighborhood churches that have no sexton. Since the Greek culture has no tradition of a book of prayers, asking someone to light the oil candles (a floating wick in a glass of oil, typically hung in front of holy icons) amounts to asking for extended prayer.
7. Siege of Trípolis: When the flourishing multi-ethnic town of Trípolis was under Turkish administration in the nineteenth century, it was besieged by Greek forces under Theódoros Kolokotrónis. The siege lasted from the beginning of June until September 23, 1821, and became the subject of a well-known Greek folksong.
8. Panayótis Kanellópoulos (1902–1986): A statesman and historian of ideas who was a member of the Greek government-in-exile during the Axis Occupation. He served briefly as minister of defense and minister of reconstruction, and twice as prime minister. He spent seven years under house arrest during the Colonels’ Junta in 1967–74. Kanellópoulos’s landing in the southern Peloponnese in 1944 marked the return of the government-in-exile to power.
9. Meligalás: A town in the southern Peloponnese where a well-known battle took place on September 13 and 14, 1944, between ELAS forces, which prevailed, and the Security Battalions.
10. Gargaliánoi: Locality in the southern Peloponnese in which ELAS troops were victorious in the September 21–23, 1944, battle against the Security Battalions under Major Panayótis Stoúpas.
11. Spýros Tsiklitíras: ELAS division commander in Laconía, in the southern Peloponnese.
12. PEEA: Πολιτική Επιτροπή Εθνικής Απελευθέρωσης, the Political Committee for National Liberation, active from March to November 1944; a mostly EAM group created to administer the regions of Greece recently vacated by German Occupation troops.
13. Kolonáki: Upscale residential neighborhood near the center of Athens.
Chapter 11
1. Gólfo: A pastoral romance in five acts by Spyrídon Peresiádis (1854–1918) that was a staple of Greek amateur acting companies and a perennial favorite of audiences.
Chapter 13
1. Valtétsi: A mountain village in the Prefecture of Arcadia, the site of important events during the 1821 Greek Revolution.
2. Theódoros Tourkovasílis (1891–1976): A nationalist parliamentarian, cofounder of the Populist Party, minister of education, and founder of teachers academies. As head of the Bank of Greece during the Axis Occupation, Tourkovasílis was jailed by the Germans. Thodorís and Thódoros are colloquial variants for the name Theódoros.
3. EDES: Εθνικός Δημοκρατικός Ελληνικός Σύνδεσμος, Greek National Democratic Union, a rightist coalition founded in September 1941 by Napoléon Zérvas to fight against German, Italian, and Bulgarian occupation forces.
4. Óhi Day: National holiday celebrated annually to commemorate October 28, 1940, when Prime Minister Ioánnis Metaxás famously responded no (óhi) to Italy’s ultimatum to Greece, thus sparking Greece’s entry into World War II.
5. The Liberation: The withdrawal of German occupation forces from Greece in October 1944.
6. Ádonis Kýrou (1923–1985): an influential left-wing activist, son of Achilléas Kýrou, owner of the conservative Athens daily Estia.
Chapter 14
1. Mávri Trýpa: A village in Arcadia known since antiquity for its deep geological crevasses. It has since been officially renamed “Trýpi.”
Chapter 16
1. LOK: Λόχοι Ορεινών Καταδρομών (Alpine Assault Companies) were special army units trained to engage the Communist guerrillas active in the mountainous terrain of Greece during the 1947–49 Civil War.
2. Tsakónikan: See note 3 to the “Prologue.”
Chapter 19
1. Loukoú: A monastery near the town of Astros, in the Peloponnese. It is dedicated to Christ of the Transfiguration, its foundation probably dating to the sixth century. Like Orthokostá, Loukoú was used by the guerrillas as a detention camp and as a center of military operations during the Civil War.
2. Tray: A Greek kafeneío tray, typically of tin or brass, with a handle attached to the rim by three long thin metal strips.
3. The Torture: This practice, known in Greek as fálanga (the rod), became particularly prevalent during the 1960s and 1970s when Greece was ruled by a military junta. Allusions to it would still resonate with readers when the novel first appeared in 1994.
4. The Karyés Monastery: Located on Mount Parnon, it is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
5. Name day: Greeks traditionally celebrate not their birthdays but the feast day of the saint they were named after—in this case Saint John, January 7.
6. Partisano: Italian word for “partisan,” widely used in Greece to denote Communist Resistance fighter.
7. Mávri Trýpa: Literally, “Black Hole.” See note 1 to chapter 14.
Chapter 20
1. Okás: An oká is a measure of weight equaling 1,280 grams or 45 ounces.
2. Laundering trough: Water mills—to this day, when they are not grinding grains—launder heavy fabrics, blankets, rugs, etc., which the mill will also store for the clients.
3. Yiannákis: Variant of the common first name Yiánnis. Other variants include Yiannakákis, Yiannoúkos, and Yiannákos.
Chapter 24
1. The Salutations: The Salutations of the Virgin Mary, sung during the vespers of the first five Lenten Fridays of the Greek Orthodox Church.
2. Saint Peter’s Day: June 29.
Chapter 26
1. Saints Constantine and Helen are jointly celebrated on May 21.
2. Triatatikós: A made-up word, from the three initial T’s in Τηλέφωνο, Ταχυδρομείο, Τηλέγραφος. He was a Telephone, Mail, and Telegraph Service employee.
3. EPON: Ενιαία Πανελλαδική Οργάνωση Νέων (Unified Panhellenic Youth Organization), an extension of EAM. EPON was founded on February 23, 1943.
4. Ilisós: A neighborhood in central Athens named after the stream Ilissus (see chapter 9) that used to run through it.
5. ΚΟΒΑ: Κομματική Οργάνωση Βάσης (Local Party Chapter), a neighborhood-based office of the Greek Communist Party.
6. Palaiá Anáktora: Old Royal Palace, the present-day Parliament building, in the center of Athens.
7. Goudí: District to the northeast of Athens that served over the years as a base for military and gendarmes.
Chapter 28
1. Saint Nicholas’s Day: December 6.
2. Loukoumádes: A traditional Greek sweet. Spoonfuls of white flour dough are deep fried until golden brown and served with honey and a pinch of cinnamon.
3. “Pinned some basil on them”: Pinning basil on a couple was a sign of public approval of their relationship.
4. “He had no sisters”: It was customary for a man to find husbands for his sisters before getting married himself.
5. Fez: A red fez is part of the popular Greek costume worn by National Guards, or Evzones.
6. Foustanélla: A man’s white pleated skirt. Part of Greek popular costume worn by Evzones.
7. “State of mourning”: A year-long period during which no weddings could be performed in the village.
8. Katharévousa: The purist, archaizing idiom in which all official documents of the Greek state were written. It was also the formal spoken language of conservative politicians, army officers, and educated clergy, among others.
9. Stremmata: Plural of stremma, an area of measurement equaling one thousand square meters or a quarter of an acre.
10. “Protopapadákis’s notorious law”: Pétros Protopapadákis (1860–1922) was a minister of fina
nce who devalued the state currency in 1919–22 to meet the expenditures for Greece’s disastrous military campaign in Asia Minor.
11. Brooklyds: From “Brooklyn,” financially successful emigrants returning from the United States.
12. Elefthérios Venizélos (1864–1936): An important Greek statesman, supporter of the Entente Cordiale, and opponent of the policies of the Greek palace. A charismatic leader who also encountered fierce personal and political opposition, Venizélos was elected no fewer than seven times to the premiership of Greece in his lifetime. It was during Greece’s military campaign in Asia Minor (1919–22) that the Greek Parliament decided to withdraw its support for the campaign and hold elections in November 1920. Venizélos lost and chose to leave Greece. He was elected prime minister again and served from 1928 to 1932.
13. Agrarian Reform Law: Premier Ioánnis Metaxás instituted the Agrarian Reform Law in 1936, whereby large landholdings were redistributed to benefit poor rural populations.
14. Alexandros Svólos (1892–1956): A Greek academic and parliamentarian active—primarily as finance minister—both during the Occupation of Greece and immediately afterward. Svólos is mostly remembered for his 1944 legislation that drastically devalued stock issued by Greek banks from fifty drachmas to one.
Chapter 30
1. ETA: Επιμελητεία του Αντάρτη (Revolutionaries’ Commissary).
2. “A date not easily forgotten”: October 28 is Óhi Day. See note 4 of chapter 13.
Chapter 36
1. The Feast of the Elevation of the True Cross: High holy day celebrated on September 14.
Chapter 38
1. The ancient tragic playwright: The quotation is from Sophocles’ Antigone.
Chapter 39
1. Turks: Derogatory term used for Communist guerrillas.
2. Drobólitsa: Folk pronunciation of Trípolis.
3. Megaloúpolis: Colloquial variant of Megalópolis.
Chapter 44
1. Tsirígo: In country parlance, another name for the island of Kýthira.
2. Farkó: Mispronunciation of “Fargo,” a vehicle originally manufactured by the Fargo Motor Car Company and produced, under different ownership, until 1972.
3. Bulgarian: Like “Turk,” “Bulgarian” was part of the anti-Communist vocabulary to designate a die-hard Communist.
Chapter 45
1. Tsivéri: Local variant for the village of Kyvéri.
Chapter 46
1. Pláka: A picturesque neighborhood on the eastern slopes of the Acropolis in Athens.
2. Zonar’s: A fashionable café in the center of Athens, established by the Greek-American businessman Károlos Zonarás in 1939.
3. Syntagma Square: Also known as Constitution Square, it is the central square in Athens, across from the Parliament, and was often the site of demonstrations.
4. Exárheia: A middle-class neighborhood near the center of Athens.
5. UNRRA: The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, founded in 1943, was especially active in 1945 and 1946. Forty-four countries contributed to funding, supplying, and staffing the agency, of which the United States was the chief donor.
6. Kefalári: Central square in Kifisiá, a well-to-do northern suburb of Athens.
“Epilogue”
1. Iconomachy: A period of theological and political strife that divided eastern Christendom, from 726 to 842, into icon worshippers and iconoclasts. It ended with the restoration of the icons in public worship and in church decoration.
THANASSIS VALTINOS was born in Kastri, Kynourias, in the Peloponnese. He has written novels, novellas, short stories, and film scripts and translated ancient Greek tragedies for the theater. His work has been translated into many languages and has earned him numerous awards, including Best Film Script for Voyage to Cythera (Cannes Festival 1984), the Greek State Prize for Best Novel (1990), the International Cavafy Prize (2002), the Petros Haris Prize conferred by the Academy of Athens for Lifetime Achievement (2002), the Gold Cross of Honour of the President of the Greek Democracy (2003), and the Greek State Prize for Lifetime Achievement (2012). In 2008 he was elected a member of the Athens Academy and served as its vice president in 2015.
JANE ASSIMAKOPOULOS is an American writer and translator living in Ioannina, Greece. Her translations from the Greek and French include novels by award-winning writers as well as poems and stories in literary journals and anthologies in the United States and in England. She is currently employed by a Greek publisher as translation editor in charge of a series of books by Philip Roth.
STAVROS DELIGIORGIS is a University of Iowa professor emeritus in English and Comparative Literature. He holds degrees from the National University of Athens, Yale University, and the University of California at Berkeley. His publications include books and articles in literary theory as well as poetry and prose translations from the Greek and Romanian.
STATHIS N. KALYVAS is Arnold Wolfers Professor of Political Science at Yale. He is the author of, among other books, Modern Greece: What Everyone Needs to Know, The Logic of Violence in Civil War, and The Rise of Christian Democracy in Europe.
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