Literature — from Homer to Kazantzakis

Greek literature has shaped Western civilization as deeply as no other — from Homer's epics to Attic tragedy to two Nobel laureates in the 20th century.

Antiquity

Homer (circa 8th century BC) stands at the beginning: The Iliad (Trojan War) and the Odyssey (Odysseus' wanderings) are the founding texts of European literature. Whether Homer was a real person or a collective phenomenon is still debated. The places of the Odyssey — Ithaca, the Bay of Calypso (Gozo?), the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis (Strait of Messina?) — have fascinated travelers for 3,000 years.

The Attic tragedy (5th century BC) — Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides — created an art form that is still performed in theaters worldwide. Antigone, Electra, Medea, Oedipus — these figures live on. And Aristophanes' comedies (The Birds, Lysistrata) are as biting and relevant as ever.

Modern Greek Literature

Greece has produced two Nobel laureates:

• Giorgos Seferis (Nobel Prize 1963): Diplomat and poet whose melancholic verses negotiate homeland, exile, and the burden of history. "Wherever I travel, Greece wounds me."
• Odysseas Elytis (Nobel Prize 1979): Poet of light and the Aegean. His major work "Axion Esti" (Worthy It Is) is a hymn to Greece, set to music by Theodorakis.

Other authors to know:

• Konstantinos Kavafis (1863-1933): Alexandrian Greek, whose poem "Ithaka" is one of the most quoted in the world: "As you set out for Ithaka, hope your road is a long one..."
• Nikos Kazantzakis (1883-1957): Crete's great son. "Alexis Sorbas" (Zorba the Greek) is a hymn to life; "The Last Temptation" a controversial Jesus novel that the church excommunicated. His grave in Heraklion bears the inscription: "I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free."
• Petros Markaris (*1937): The king of Greek crime fiction. His Inspector Charitos investigates in Athens — the books are the best introduction to modern Greece. "Hellas Channel" and "Zahltag" are available in German.