From a master of modernist literature, Thanassis Valtinos, this volume collects two groundbreaking novellas that altered the trajectory of Greek fiction, together with two autobiographical short stories. Valtinos, in these early works, charts the divergent fates of his native Peloponnesian villagers through odysseys of departure and historical upheaval.

Set in the early twentieth century, The Book of Andreas Kordopatis, Part 1: America records the repeated attempts of the narrator to emigrate to the U.S. Wrought from a firsthand account, it offers a revelatory view of the struggles of the undocumented in that era. The Descent of the Nine is a Greek Civil War drama that details the agonizing attrition of nine surviving Communist rebels left to fend for themselves in government-controlled territory. In “Addiction to Nicotine” the onset of adolescence interfuses with the last stages of the leftist grip on the countryside. “Aistrátigos” closes the collection with a keenly sketched portrait of a World War II veteran, whose privation— in war and affection—has led to an almost mystical reclusiveness.

In an expert, compelling translation, these tales resound with diverse and intimate voices from the great chorus of the work of Thanassis Valtinos.

Thanassis Valtinos’s prose is distinguished by an ongoing dialogue with key periods of twentieth-century Greek history. It is driven by the desire to give voice to anonymity and therefore to that which history forgets, marginalizes, or leaves out.

~Anthony Dracopoulos

This collection of his early works offers insights into the artistry of one of Greece’s most influential writers.

~Dimitris Tziovas

Thanassis Valtinos, born in the Peloponnese, is one of Greece’s foremost writers. His consistently innovative and much imitated work has been widely translated and has earned him many awards, including Best Screenplay (the Cannes Film Festival 1984), the Greek State Prize for Best Novel (1990), the International Cavafy Prize (2002), and, most recently, the Greek State Prize for Lifetime Achievement (2012).
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From “Addiction to Nicotine” — read by the author in the original Greek

Jane Assimakopoulos is an American-born and -educated translator living in Greece. She is also a translation editor in charge for many years of an extensive series of books by Philip Roth.
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Stavros Deligiorgis is a University of Iowa professor emeritus in English and comparative literature. He is currently engaged in collaborative translations from and into Greek, Romanian, and Italian poetry and fiction.
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