Novel Alexandrias 40: In the Shade of the Lemon Tree
to be published in 2010 by Vox Humana Books http://www.voxhumana-books.com
“In these tales of love, loss, and survival, Pierides embroiders a tableau detailing the lives of a refugee family in Athens, circa 1957. The novel is set in the house of the family on Alexandrias Street, where they came to settle years after their flight from Smyrni, now Izmir, Turkey. Framed by this house — a concoction of tin, cement, wood and mud, a paradise, a refuge and a prison to those who nestle in it — they struggle to come to terms with their predicament, attempting to establish themselves in Greece. Without idealising its characters, the novel unfolds — a tragicomic story, full of ethnic colour, warm sensuality and psychological insight. The book encompasses the “Catastrophe” of Asia Minor, the Greek Civil War, accusations and blackmail, adoption and betrayal, as well as the refugees’ love and bitterness towards their country. The characters’ traumatic past and struggle for survival, in a country that is both home and hostile to them, requires their ability to tap into psychological resources of generosity, masochism, denial and ruthlessness — and above all — humour and forgiveness. In a quick-paced narrative straddling both the genres of novel and short story, Stella Pierides recreates a world within a world, miles apart from the well-trodden tourist trail to Greece.”
“…Vox Humana Books…eclectic literature with a human voice”
Soul Song, in Poetry Monthly International, issue 15, January 2010 (p. 18). [Poem] http://www.poetrymonthly.com/15 PMI January 2010.pdf
The Refugee, Winter Picture, and Mystery Train, to appear in Vox Humana Literary, Spring Issue, 2010. [3 Poems] http://www.voxhumana-lit.com
Girl, in the print Journal Off the Coast, International/Translation Issue, Spring 2009. [Poem]
Song of the Aegean, in Poetry Monthly, issue 150, 2008. [Poem]
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I very much look forward to seeing this novel in print. As becomes clear from your Reading Room Blog, the novel will make reference to historical events — reflected in the experiences and life stories of the people who were at the ‘receiving end’ — that not many people in the Central/Western Europe/the USA know about, although they pre-date, and in a sense were ‘models’ for, the ‘population exchanges’ and ‘ethnic cleansings’ that are happening now. These stories must be told and remembered!
Posted on January 21st, 2010 at 3:32 pm
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