Hellas Portrait of Greece

by Nicholas Gage

Gage captures a feeling - the special intensity of this land, the magical presence of the Parthenon, the sense of something that is lovely, perverse, crazy, delightful and beautiful. Readers who have never been to Greece will want to go and those who have will want to return.

Genres: Greece, History, Travel, Nonfiction

247 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Nicholas Gage (born Nikolaos Gatzoyiannis; Greek: Νίκος Γκατζογιάννης) is a Greek-American author and investigative journalist.
Gage started out as an investigative reporter for the New York Times, and later wrote for the Wall Street Journal. His experiences as a reporter were the basis for the television show “The Andros Targets”.
He is most famous for two autobiographical memoirs, the best-selling Eleni (translated into 32 languages, and adapted into film) and A Place for Us.

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Hellas: A Portrait of Greece, by Nicholas Gage, is like taking a whirlwind tour of Greece with a friend who can relate story after story about the people, customs, geography, and history -- both ancient and modern -- of every corner of the mainland and the islands. First published in 1971 and updated in 1986, some of the information about specific restaurants or hotels is obsolete. For example, my grandfather's favorite taverna in Athens, Xynou, mentioned on p.121, has been closed for many years, but I'm sure there are still tavernas where there is no menu, but diners can choose from among the pots of fresh food caught from the sea or picked from the gardens that very day.

But this is not a traveler's guide to restaurants and hotels. Rather, it is a guide to the aspects of Greece which are eternal, and I recommend it to anyone planning a trip to Greece, even if only in their imagination. As Henry Miller wrote after his eight-month stay in Greece, "In one way or another, at some time or other, we have all been there, if only in a dream."

[Aaron Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little travelogue.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Nicholas Gage’s books about Greece, and this was no exception.

[Nelle Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read of Greek history.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In preparation for our big trip, this book offered a present-day (1970-80) description of the author's impressions. He was born in the northern Greek village of Lia near the Albanian border in 1939.

The light in Greece is different from anywhere else. "The stark land is bathed in a pure and intense light that has been remarked upon by visitors since Roman times... Figures and objects in the Greek landscape do seem to stand out with a special vividness."

"Here in the eastern Mediterranean is the hard core of Europe, a land reduced to its essentials of light and form, of rock and sky and sea. But it is the interplay of these essentials that grab the attention, expands the imagination, and revives the spirit."

"Modern Greeks have the same spirit of the ancients: the same restless curiosity, the shrewdness, the love of adventure, the capacity for suffering. He shares the same tendency to use strong words and violent gestures, he has the same warm heart, the disdain for time, and the delight in life lived fully, with all the senses awake."

There are 5 Greek dances: Kalamatiano (dancers hold hands, moving in a line), Tsamiko (leader often does slow, athletic moves), Zeibekiko (Zorba's dance, starts slowly, then progresses faster), Hasapiko (tense and concentrated), and Syrtaki (loose, bouncy, aimed for audience approval).

Edith Hamilton, scholar, wrote:
"To rejoice in life, to find the world beautiful and delightful to live in, was a mark of the Greek spirit which distinguished it from all that had gone before."

[Milan Trpkovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knjiga za svakog zaljubljenika u Grčku. Pisac kroz priče o ljudima i krajevima Grčke oslikava njen pravi portret. Kroz anegdote, priče, istorijske podatke i lične uspomene pisca, šetaćemo brojnim predelima Grčke i upoznati njenu kulturu, običaje, ljude i događaje. Grčka osvaja srce, a ova knjiga tu ljubav čini još jačom.
Jedan od najboljih putopisa koji sam čitao.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some books never loose their ability to describe a country and this is one. Don't let the 1987 publish date scare you. This is still the story of the lovely people of Greece. Here is a quote I must share (although I don't know if it was by this author) In talking about the handsome young Greek men, just remember that their shelf life isn't long.