Hellas: Portrait of Greece - Hardcover

An expanded version of a small volume first published in 1971, this portrait of Greece will be read with pleasure by many. With admirable economy of style, Gage paints a broad and varied canvas ranging over Greece's history, ancient and modern; art; geography; religion; social customs; dance; gastronomy; politics; and much else. One cannot but be stirred by his immense feeling for the land and its people, his sympathy for their travails, and his pride in their achievements. This makes the work much more than just another guidebook. It should be dipped into periodically and savored, the way the author himself savors Greece. It will add a new dimension to any trip to Greece, even if one suspects that on occasion pride and patriotism led its author to oversimplification. Thomas M. Robinson, Philosophy Dept., Univ. of Toronto
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In this revised edition of his 1971 Portrait of Greece, Gage, author of Eleni, offers a combination capsule history and travel guide to Athens and to such areas as his own native mountain village Lia. Illuminating essays embrace aspects of the landscape, culture, religion and mythology of his homeland. Gage shows us a land dominated by the sea and built to human proportions, its people who have survived invasion and absorbed most of its conquerors, Greek cooking that has altered little since the age of Pericles, and a populace that makes a celebration out of every meal. His paean is an excellent complement to standard guidebooks. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.