The Dedalus Book of Greek Fantasy
The Dedalus Book of Greek Fantasy, edited by David Connolly / ISBN 9781873982846 / 308-page paperback / brand-new copy but light cover wear as this book was printed in 2004 and shipped around the world
For this series, “fantasy” generally equals “the fantastic.”
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This is the first collection of Greek short stories of its kind and almost all are translated into English for the first time. Of particular interest are the stories by authors not normally associated with fantastic fiction. Included, for example, are prose works by major twentieth-century Greek poets (Cavafy, Lapathiotis, Leivaditis) and by representatives of the little known but highly influential Greek Surrealist movement (Embirikos, Valaoritis) alongside such established authors as Papadiamantis, Theotokas and Yatromanaolakis.
“Winner of the Hellenic Foundation award this week, David Connolly’s unique anthology opens a window on two centuries of prose visions from the greatest of modern Greek authors. A tradition kicked off by the marvels of The Odyssey thrives here in tall tales, ghostly adventures and strange parables, from folklore to SF. A rich feast of mystery – but always tasty – fictional meze.”–Boyd Tonkin in The Independent
In his introduction, “Connolly writes about the criteria for the choice of authors, from the birth of the modern Greek State to the present. One priority was to feature writers who work is not normally associated with fantasy fiction, such as the poets C.P. Cavafy, Napoleon Lapathiotis and Tassos Leivaditis. He also wished to provide examples of ‘all the sub-genres within fantasy literature, defined in its broadest sense as referring to events which depart from what is possible or plausible in reality’. The Greek Surrealist movement is well represented.” — Elizabeth Winter in the Times Literary Supplement
