The author was born in Constantinople during the golden age of the Greek diaspora. ‘WHERE THEN’ is her first book. With particular sensitivity, nostalgia and love, she describes, through the soul and eyes of a child, the story of a family in the 1950s in the City. Through everyday life, the pleasant and unpleasant moments, she describes the customs and traditions, the political and social events, and the relationships between people of different ethnicities, languages and religions, bringing to life the ethos and style, the culture of the era, and that of the diaspora. It mentions neighbourhoods, churches and schools, holiday destinations, transport, shops, bazaars and markets, food and professions, providing a significant account of the cosmopolitan yet deeply traditional life in the multi-ethnic and multicultural Istanbul. And then, the September events. The insecurity, the fear, the despair, the destruction. The need to uproot, the exile, the settling and adapting to life in Greece. The book, written in the local dialect, a vibrant language that uses words and expressions of Italian, French and Turkish origin, characteristic of Constantinople’s multiculturalism, reminds the older generation and teaches the younger one an important part of our history that must not be forgotten.
- Pages: 576
- ISBN: 978-960-7721-85-3
- Publication: 2003
- Dimensions: 21 x 14
- Categories: Literature, Books, Greek Literature
Aglaia Kloukina-Konstantinidou
Aglaia Konstantinidou-Kloukina was born in Istanbul, spent her childhood there and completed her primary education at the Central Girls’ School. In 1955, following the September events, she left Istanbul with her family and came to Athens. She completed her six-year secondary education and graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Athens.
