My Greek Books
It’s My Greek Books time! Glad to be back with you. Recently, as I work on novel revisions, I’ve had to slow down my reading. I’ve found that reading other novels has been challenging-and distracting during this time. But I really missed my reading time, so I’m trying some different genres.
This month, learn about a biography, a classic Greek novel in translation, and a collection of humorous essays. So, without further ado, let’s get to it!
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Eva Palmer Sikelianos: A Life in Ruins by Artemis Leontis
Princeton University Press (March 5, 2019)
About the author
Dr. Artemis Leontis is C. P. Cavafy Professor of Modern Greek and Comparative Literature, Department of Classical Studies and Department of Comparative Literature, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She earned her Ph.D. in Comparative Studies from the Ohio State University, Division of Comparative Studies and Graduate School in 1991. In 1984, she received her M.A. in Ancient Greek from the Ohio State University Department of Classics. Her undergraduate degree was in Religious Studies and Studio Art from Oberlin College.
Since 1999, this Greek-American has taught Classical Studies and Comparative Literature at the University of Michigan. She’s received fellowships from the Greek Department of External Affairs, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the UM Humanities Institute. Her field of specialization is Modern Greek Studies: the study of Greeks, the Greek language, migrations in and out of Greece by various ethnic groups, and the idea of Greece cultivated in the West in the modern period.
Her first book, Topographies of Hellenism: Mapping the Homeland, (NCROL, 1995) compared Westerner’s projections of their collective fantasies on Greece and Greek literary modernism’s reterritorialization of those projections. Other book projects include Greece: A Travelers’ Literary Companion (Whereabouts Press, 1997) and Culture and Customs of Greece (Greenwood, 2009). Dr. Leontis is currently the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Modern Greek Studies.
About the book
A Life in Ruins is the first biography of a visionary 20th century American performer who devoted her life to the revival of ancient Greek culture. It reveals the life of Eva Palmer Sikelianos (1874–1952), an American actor, director, composer, and weaver best known for reviving the Delphic Festivals. For nearly 50 years, she dressed in handmade Greek tunics and sandals, making modern life freer and more beautiful through a creative engagement with the ancients. Along the way, she crossed paths with other seminal modern artists such as Natalie Clifford Barney, Renée Vivien, Isadora Duncan, Susan Glaspell, George Cram Cook, Richard Strauss, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Nikos Kazantzakis, George Seferis, Henry Miller, Paul Robeson, and Ted Shawn.
Brilliant and beautiful, Palmer was a wealthy New York debutante who studied Greek at Bryn Mawr College before turning her back on conventional society to live a lesbian life in Paris. She later followed Raymond Duncan (brother of Isadora) and his wife to Greece, where she married the Greek poet Angelos Sikelianos in 1907. With single-minded purpose, Palmer re-created ancient art forms, staging Greek tragedy with her own choreography, costumes, and even music. After exhausting her inheritance, she returned to the US in 1933, where she was blacklisted for criticizing American imperialism during the Cold War. She was barred from returning to Greece until just before her death.
The biography draws on hundreds of newly discovered letters and featuring many previously unpublished photographs, as Eva’s archive is scattered and some items were lost or hidden.
My Greek Books review
I actually purchased this book back in 2019 and for some reason, it lingered on my bookshelf. After exchanging some correspondence with Dr. Leontis, I plucked it from the shelves and dove in. As I had started (finally) reading, she gave a presentation on the book in Chicago. Her fascinating talk revealed the 10-year painstaking journey to research the book. Parts of Eva’s life remain unknown, though new information is solely coming to light.
While I am familiar with Angelos Sikelianos and his work, I didn’t know much about Eva. So I didn’t know what to expect from A Life in Ruins. What I found was a riveting story that I couldn’t put down. Artemis Leontis dug through the archives to re-create Eva’s story, revealing a vivid portrait of a woman who was proudly nonconformist and fell in love with Greece. Eva’s life truly was one in ruins—every day she sought to revive the glory of Ancient Greece, and she gave all in that quest. Readers will learn about some familiar names too in this stunning biography. Grab your copy today.
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The Merchants of Nations by Alexandros Papadiamantis, translated by Michail Tzoufras
Sunset Publishing (June 24, 2016); originally published February 8, 1883
About the author
Considered one of the most influential Greek writers of the 19th century, Alexandros Papadiamantis (1851-1911) was a poet, short story writer, and novelist born on the island of Skiathos. His stories take place in Greece, predominantly on his native island. His writings are influential in Modern Greek literature, and according to Wikipedia, “he is for Greek prose what Dionysios Solomos is for poetry.”
According to the Cambridge Centre for Greek Studies, “he was even compared by some of his contemporaries to Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Dickens, most likely because of the tragic tenor of his work and his habit of marking Christmas and Easter by turning out a seasonal story. His literary field of reference, however, extended far beyond the nineteenth century and along with Homer, Plato and Hesiod he also drew on Dante and Shakespeare, easily integrating scenes and passages from their works into his writing”. Read my review of his Tales from a Greek Island, here.
Papadiamantis’ home in Skiathos is now a museum.
About the translator
For this work, Michail Tzoufras won the Modern Greek Studies Association Elizabeth A. Constantinides Translation Prize in 2017. In the announcement, the committee said, “Tzoufras’s translation stood apart for its subtlety and judiciousness in dealing with the considerable challenges presented by Papadiamantis’s prose; we thank him for adding yet another fine text to the existing canon of Modern Greek literature in English, for us to read, teach, and enjoy.”
About the book
Set amid the collapsing world of the late Byzantine Empire, the novel describes how the lives of devout Aegean islanders are upended when they are caught in the wake of ruthless medieval crusaders. A vivid account of the passionate pursuit of love, conquest, and revenge, the book brought popular success to Papadiamantis years before he would achieve critical acclaim with his short stories. The translation makes available essential reading on the history of Greece’s place in Europe—a still-relevant today.
My Greek Books review
I’m on a mission to read Greece’s seminal writers, and Michail Tzoufras’ skillful translation makes this classical Greek novel accessible to a wider audience. As always, Alexandros Papadiamantis provides deep insight into the human psyche. Join the adventure through tragedy, lust, remorse, betrayal, faith—and a lack thereof—told with a touch of humor. Though published more than a century ago, the story feels surprisingly modern. This engaging story kept me reading well into the night. Don’t miss it!
The Land and Its People by David Sedaris
Little Brown and Company (May 26, 2026)
About the author
Greek-American David Sedaris traces his Greek roots to Apidea, Laconia. A master of satire, he is one of today’s most observant writers. His books have sold more than 16 million copies and have been translated into 32 languages. He has written many New York Times bestsellers, including Barrel Fever (Little Brown and Company, 2009) and Me Talk Pretty One Day (Back Bay/Little, Brown & Co., 2001).
He writes regularly for The New Yorker and his essays have been included in “The Best American Essays.” Additionally, he’s published acclaimed children’s books, including Pretty Ugly (TOON Books, 2024), and The Selfish Sister (Astra/TOON Books, 2026).
He and his sister, Amy Sedaris, have co-written several plays which have been staged in New York City. His radio show, Meet David Sedaris, airs on BBC Radio 4. In 2019, David Sedaris became a regular contributor to CBS Sunday Morning and launched Masterclass: David Sedaris Teaches Storytelling and Humor.
Sedaris has won multiple awards for his work, including an Obie Award, a BBC Audio Drama Award, and five Grammy Awards. He was elected as a member into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2019. In 2020, the New York Public Library voted Me Talk Pretty One Day one of the 125 most important books of the last 125 years. In 2025, he received an Honorary Doctor of Literature degree by the University of Chichester.
About the book
In The Land and Its People, Sedaris investigates what it means to be a traveler, a brother, a lifelong friend. He shares many stories, from succeeding and failing as he tries on the role of caretaker after his boyfriend Hugh’s hip-replacement surgery. He covers ground with his friend Dawn and challenges her to eat a truck tire. A ambivalent Duolingo bot becomes his unlikely confidante as he attempts to describe his family in a foreign language. And so much more.
My Greek Books review*
With his signature humor and razor-sharp prose, David Sedaris delivers another winner. The Land and Its People is funny and brazen, yet honest. He is a keen observer. And just when you think, “Nah, he won’t go there,” he does. He keeps you on your toes, poking fun at himself and everyone around him. It’s a quick read. Add it to your collection.
*I read an advance review copy
My Greek Books—May 2026
Well, that’s it for this month. Add these three books to your list. Now I’m in the middle of another great one! Can’t wait to share it with you next month. Til then, Happy Reading!
