Contemporary Greek prose: An anthology; Contemporary Greek poetry: An anthology

Abstract

The review discusses two anthologies of contemporary Greek literature (prose and poetry), comprising works of the authors distinguished with the country’s State Prize for Literature in the years from 2010 to 2018. The two books succeed in capturing the multidimensional character of Greece’s modern life and literature in small forms (short stories, novellas and poems). The first anthology features short stories and novellas by fourteen authors. The second contains works by twenty poets, each represented by five poems. While some authors were rewarded for their literary debut, others received the prize for lifetime achievements. Thanks to the anthologies, characterised by a diversity of subjects, artistic methods and poetic messages, the Russian audiences can join in the polylogue between classics and avant-gardists, realists and surrealists, and gurus and novices, as well as broaden their knowledge of the latest developments in a literature rooted in ancient history that remains unique and inspired through the oeuvre of its masters.