This is most evident in a short chapter entitled ‘The Mini-Skirt’, which is not a trot through Athenian fashions of the period but the tale of a warning given him by a female colleague not to be too hard on a woman who is unpopular because of her family’s elevated status under the junta. The colleague had during that time nominally lost her job because she wore a mini-skirt, but it was in fact because of dissenting articles she had written. Instead of going to jail, she was told to get on a plane to London where another job would be waiting for her. Although it was never subsequently discussed between them, she knows that her protectress was this woman who is now made to suffer for her family’s allegiances. So things are complicated. There follows a chapter on contemporary Greek poetry, which is fascinating not so much for the information Lucas gives as for his enthusiasm, the sense of someone passionately engaging with a culture.
Anyone familiar with Eland Books will know that their decision to publish a new book is itself a reliable endorsement, and only a dedicated sourpuss could fail to be swept along by Lucas’s zest and intelligence. Whether describing bureaucracy at the university, the delights of Babi’s taverna, politics, poets or Easter on the island of Aegina (where he and his wife later became part-time residents), Lucas is unfailingly observant, trenchant and appreciative. Although based on experiences of more than 20 years ago, 92 Acharnon Street holds up as a sharp, personal portrait of modern Greece.
Comments
There are currently no comments for this article.