The Passenger: Greece

The best writing and art from around the world. One country at a time. Few countries have received more media attention in recent years. There's a downside: news replaces people's actual stories, impressions substitute facts, characters take the place of people. In this volume, we set those opinions aside and give the stories, facts, and people of Greece the dignity and centrality they deserve

'On the Greek island of Ikaria, life is sweet . . . and very, very long. What is the locals' secret?' - from "The Island of Long Life" by Andrew Anthony

Contents

Greece in Numbers
The Mythbuster - Elisabetta Garieri
A Sign of the Times - Thomas Tsalapatis
Theatre of Crisis - Graziano Graziani

Athens: A Palimpsest of Perspectives - Nikos Vatopoulos
A tour through time around the buildings and neighbourhoods of Athens.

Lands of Migration - Matteo Nucci
In a sea of indifference and racism there are still havens of welcome and hospitality; the Greek islands have in recent years seen an influx of asylum seekers shut out by 'Fortress Europe'.

The Lost Generation - Christos Ikonomou
Hundreds of thousands of young Greeks have left the country and now feel remote and resentful, an attitude shared by those who are unable to leave and so find themselves doubly frustrated.

Once Upon a Time: The Greek Taverna - Petros Markaris
Culinary enthusiast and crime writer Petros Markaris explains how eating habits have changed in Greece over the past few decades and how the legendary taverna is becoming increasingly rare.

The Apostate - James Angelos
In his two terms as mayor, Yiannis Boutaris balanced the books in Greece's second city Thessaloniki, while promoting its Jewish and Ottoman identity to attract Israeli and Turkish tourists - and in the process enraging nationalists and Orthodox Christians.

Athenian Microdramas - Kostas Koutsourelis
A tragicomic portrait of the daily battle of Greek against Greek, amid suspicion of strangers, devotion to personal connections and unwavering solidarity in the face of the common enemy: the oppressive state.

Paperchase - Rachel Howard
At the peak of the crisis, a British woman decides to return to Greece to make her contribution to a country she loves and which has been her home for many years - but she has not reckoned with Greece's fearsome bureaucracy.

The Island of Long Life - Andrew Anthony
On the island of Ikaria life is sweet ... and very, very long. So what is the islanders' secret?

Greeks Bearing Gifts - Alexander Clapp
During the crisis Greece fell into the hands of a new generation of oligarchs who amassed fortunes and took advantage of the emergency to snap up strategic parts of the country.

A Way of Life - Matteo Nucci
Rebetiko is rebel music - challenging power, war and conformism - and it has, in recent times, once again been showing its revolutionary potential.

An Overdose of Love - Dimitris Papanikolaou
New Greek cinema has been celebrated internationally, but after Yorgos Lanthimos, its leading light, left to work in London, Greeks want to see a little more love for their country.

The Greek Freak: Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Road to Heaven - Thomas Tsalapatis
There is something miraculous about the achievements of this basketball star of Nigerian descent - and his exploits have even forced the Greek far right to backpedal and agree to grant him citizenship.

David and Goliath - Gilda Tentorio
Tales from Another Greece - Valerio Millefoglie
An Author Recommends - Ersi Sotiropoulos
The Playlist - Konstantinos Fragkoulis
Further Reading