Upcoming Releases | September – December 2017

We are welcoming autumn with a host of important books for readers of all ages. Read on for more information about the titles we plan to publish by the end of 2017. GREEK FICTION Ismini Kapantai: A Townhouse in HalandriThe prolific and award-winning author, Ismini Kapantai, marks the start of her collaboration with Ikaros by publishing a subversive crime novel entitled A City House in Halandri. Kyriakos Margaritis: KronakaWith the eponymous work, Kyriakos Margaritis attempts a fictional reconstruction of the chronicle as a narrative form in the 21st century.All the stories I loved were rivers, but I would like you to see the one I have decided to tell as a sea: who will ever exhaust it? Certainly not me. Yet I have a longing to reach it and enter the inexhaustible. I am referring to the mystery of the Word, and I go to celebrate it in the courtyard of childhood. There I lay out my castles, with ashes from Auschwitz, the immaculate tears of Turin, soil from the Green Line, verses from Siberia, Athonite relics and a few strolls through the arcades of Athens. If I am not mistaken, the foam will be called Kronaka, that is to say, Chronicle. The rest, perhaps eternity, I hope will be my depths. The publication is made possible by the kind sponsorship of the Kimonos Arts Centre. GREEK POETRY Yannis Metaxas: But afterwards, afterwards… Yannis Metaxas’s new collection of poetry, featuring three paintings by Yannis Psychopedis. Yannis Metaxas, Emeritus Professor of Political Science, founder of the Political Communication Laboratory at the University of Athens and full member of the European Interdisciplinary Academy of Sciences (Académie Européenne Interdisciplinaire des Sciences), has published numerous academic books and the poetry collection From Time to Time (Gavriilidis, 2011). George K. Psaltis: You George K. Psaltis returns with his new poetry collection entitled You. He has published three poetry collections with Ikaros: Return to the United Country (2008), Please Do Not Dig, a Dog Is Buried Here (2011), and Panagies Elenes (2014). His play Poppy Seeds (Koukoutsi Publications, 2015) was staged at Analogio 2015 (Theatre of Art). He collaborates with artists on creative projects. His writings have been published in literary journals and on websites. GRAPHIC NOVELTassos Zafeiradis – Yannis Palavos – Thanasis Petrou: Gra-GrouA unique and atmospheric graphic novel, told like an allegorical fairy tale about our deepest dilemmas.In Vermio, outside the village of Kastania, the ‘Gra-Grou’ restaurant marks the transition from Central to Western Macedonia. Many pass by, but few notice, lost in the mist, an arched bridge at the side of the road. No one knows where it leads. Those who do see it have their own reasons. One morning, a young woman arrives at ‘Gra-Grou’ with the intention of crossing the bridge. As she hesitates to cross it, whilst waiting in the restaurant, she gets to know the regulars and listens to their stories. The months pass. Meanwhile, the new road bypassing Kastania is about to open. The heroine must make her decision.The graphic novel by Tassos Zafeiradis, Yannis Palavos and Thanasis Petrou unfolds an atmospheric story, where tradition intersects with the present and realistic narration is undermined by beliefs and legends. Set against the backdrop of the eponymous restaurant, a landmark in Northern Greece for an entire era, Gra-Grou crafts a charming gallery of characters just before each of them chooses the ‘big Yes or the big No’.The publication is accompanied by original music composed by Michalis Siganidis. ESSAY/TESTIMONY Panourgias Panourgias: Free GreeksGeneral Panourgias (1917–2008) served in the 2nd Staff Office of the General Staff from 1966 and was present at the coup d’état of 21 April 1967. He opposed the regime from the outset, was arrested in June 1969, remained in solitary confinement and was subsequently exiled. He was a member of the steering committee of the organisation known as the ‘Free Greeks’, responsible for political contacts. In this book, he describes in detail the events as he experienced them from his position both before and after the junta. The narrative begins in 1964, with emphasis on the early months of 1967 and, of course, the coup, whilst also providing an extensive account of the royal counter-coup. The book concludes with a detailed chapter on the Free Greeks. The author has drawn on an extensive bibliography, as well as material from his personal archive. The publication includes a list of the members of the Free Greeks, an appendix with interesting illustrative material and rare documents, and an introduction by the historian Tassos Sakellaropoulos. Efi Sapouna-Sakellaraki: When Time Spoke: The story of two people who dedicated their lives to their science and left their mark on archaeology. A description of the academic careers of Yannis and Efi Sakellaraki, covering excavations, writing and publications, trips to international conferences, successes and disappointments, brings to life an entire era, the events in the cultural and social life of Greece in the second half of the 20th century.Through a fictional narrative, the author describes their shared journey and how they felt, acted and reacted, guided by a specific logic, aesthetic and ethos, both within and outside the archaeological world.The publication was made possible through the generous sponsorship of Alpha Bank. FOREIGN PROSE Vicente Alfonso (Mexico): The Remains of Saint Lawrence (Huesos de San Lorenzo) Translation: Maria Palaiologou The truth is one; its interpretations, infinite. Astonished by the gravity of the charges against his patient, Romo Ayala, the psychologist Alberto Alborés agrees to join a team that will defend the young man’s innocence. As time goes by, reality reveals more and more disturbing facts about Romo’s past, and Dr Albores is called upon to decide whether his monologues are mere fantasies or confessions of heinous crimes...How many lies and truths are there in the stories that Romo tells his psychologist? Under what circumstances did Romo’s mother die, and why are some people trying to cover her tracks? Is it possible for a man to be murdered in a bar without anyone being able to confirm the identity of the perpetrator? Was it Romo, or perhaps his twin brother, Romylos? Why is the twins’ mother’s grave empty? The investigations to solve these mysteries will piece together the history of the Agiala family and show that every reality can have infinite interpretations. Jean Echenoz (France): Special Envoy (Envoyée spéciale)Translation: Achilleas KyriakidisIt all begins at the French intelligence office, where the elderly General Bourgeot asks his trusted colleague, Paul Obza, to help him choose the person who will lead the secret mission they are preparing: a beautiful woman, easily manipulated.Constance, an attractive, restless woman stuck in a failed marriage to a washed-up pop musician, seems the ideal choice.Obza’s men kidnap her, entangle her in the web of French bureaucracy and train her for the special mission. Their aim is to destabilise Kim Jong-un’s regime in North Korea.From the banks of the Seine to the shores of the Yellow Sea, along the River Creuse, nothing can stop Constance from fulfilling her mission.Delightfully strange and unpredictable, full of unexpected twists and coincidences, Jean Echenoz’s novel Special Envoy is, according to L’Express ‘a precious gem, a delight at every turn, a celebration of the French language’. Hannah Kent (Australia): The Good PeopleTranslation: Maria AngelidouFollowing the huge success of her literary debut, Burial Rites, Hannah Kent returns with the novel The Good People.County Kerry. Ireland, 1825. Devastated by the death of her husband, Martin, Nora finds herself all alone, caring for her grandson Michael, a child unable to walk or speak. Where is the healthy, happy grandson she knew when her daughter was still alive?Mary comes to help Nora at home, whilst dark tales of inexplicable misfortunes, illnesses, and rumours that Michael is bringing bad luck to the valley begin to spread.Determined to rid themselves of the evil and help Michael, Nora and Mary enlist the help of Nance, an elderly wandering woman who possesses the knowledge and mysteries of ancient magic.As the three women hope to bring Michael back, their unique world of customs, beliefs and rituals closes in on them ever more tightly; they will be led down a dangerous path and forced to question everything they know.Set in a lost world that obeys its own rules, Hannah Kent’s The Good People is a striking novel about absolute faith and devoted love. George Saunders (USA): Lincoln in the BardoTranslation: Giorgos – Ikaros BabasakisHow do we live and how do we love, when we know that everything we care about will one day cease to exist?February 1862. The American Civil War is raging, whilst President Lincoln’s beloved eleven-year-old son is gravely ill and, despite predictions of recovery, eventually dies. On 22 February 1862, two days after his death, Willie Lincoln was buried in a marble crypt in Georgetown Cemetery.That evening, Abraham Lincoln arrived alone at the cemetery, wishing to spend time with his son’s lifeless body. During the night, the ghosts of those who have recently passed away and those who have been dead for some time coexist; a monumental battle takes place for the soul of little Willie.Taking this historical event as his starting point, George Saunders tells an unforgettable, kaleidoscopic story of family love, loss, and the forces of good and evil. Marina Tsvetaeva (Russia): My Pushkin (Мой Пушкин)Translation: Fotis LambrinosIn her book, the popular Russian poet Marina Tsvetaeva (1892–1941), My Pushkin, the author blends narrative, autobiography and poetic prose with great interest, in a unique quest to discover literature and its ability to transform reality.Marina Tsvetaeva sketches the Pushkin of her childhood, her secret readings, her journey and her encounter with the great poet. Juan Gabriel Vásquez (Colombia): The Shape of Ruins (La forma de las ruinas)Translation: Achilleas Kyriakidis “Conspiracy theories are like climbing plants, Vasquez: they cling to anything to get higher, and keep climbing until you take away what’s supporting them.”In 2014, Carlos Carvajo is arrested in a museum in Bogotá for the theft of the cloth suit belonging to Jorge Eliezer Gaitán, the liberal political leader who was assassinated in 1948.Carvaggio, troubled by the mysteries of the past that haunt him, is constantly searching for clues that will give meaning to his quest. Yet no one, not even his closest friends, suspects the deeper reasons behind his obsession.What links the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Jorge Eliezer Gaitán, whose death shaped the history of Colombia? How can a crime that took place in 1914—that of the leader of the Liberal Party, Rafael Uribe Uribe—mark the life of a man in the 21st century? For Carvagio, everything is connected, and there are no coincidences. Juan Gabriel Vázquez, the novel’s author-narrator, possesses a peculiar privilege: he has in his possession the remains of the two Colombian politicians, and decides to delve into the secrets of the darkest moments of Colombia’s past.A gripping novel and a unique historical exploration of the relationships we forge in a world rife with wounds and the machinations of power. Alejandro Zambra (Chile): Skills Test (Facsimile)Translation: Achilleas KyriakidisTo say that Skills Test is a novel would be just as risky as saying it isn’t. Perhaps it is better simply to say that it is a book by Alejandro Zambra, because the style and themes that have made him a significant voice in Latin American literature unfold here in a substantial and intense manner.Taking as his starting point the structure of the oral examination administered in Chile from 1967 to 2002 to university applicants, the author creates an unexpected work in which stories coexist with literary excerpts and linguistic exercises that are, in essence, moral dilemmas: the need to lie in order to be validated by others; the desire to form bonds, despite mistrust of love and family; the difficulty of navigating a minefield full of secrets; the desperate conviction that, rather than learning to think, we have been trained to obey and repeat. NON-FICTIONErik Larson (USA) Dead Wake (Dead Wake)Translation: Katerina SchinaThe gripping story of the sinking of the Lusitania.On 1 May 1915, with the First World War already in its tenth month, the Lusitania, a luxury ocean liner, set sail from New York bound for Liverpool, carrying a large number of passengers, including many children and infants. Despite the fact that Germany had declared the seas around Britain a war zone, the liner’s passengers did not believe they were in any danger, as for a century civilian ships had been kept safe from any attack. For months, German submarines had been sowing terror in the North Atlantic, but the Lusitania was one of the finest and fastest transatlantic liners of the era, known as the ‘Hound of the Seas’. Germany was determined to change the rules of the game, and Walther Schwieger, captain of the submarine U-20, was ready to rise to the challenge.In *The Silent Wave*, Erik Larson, in a manner that captivates the reader, examines the sinking of the Lusitania by U-20 and the events surrounding the shipwreck, bringing to the fore the lives of a host of compelling characters, he paints a sweeping portrait of America during the Progressive Era. CHILDREN’S BOOKSDrew Daywalt & Oliver Jeffers: The Day the Crayons QuitTranslation: Filippos MandilarasAll poor Duncan wanted was to draw. But when he opened his box, he found a pile of letters, all saying the same thing: we’re quitting! Beige was tired of being Brown’s shadow. Blue needed a break after all that work, whilst Pink simply wanted to be used. Green had no complaints but wanted Yellow and Orange to make up.What could Duncan do? Debut author Drew Daywalt and beloved illustrator Oliver Jeffers create a lively and imaginative story that will have children in stitches and make them see their crayons in a whole new light… Alexia Vernikou: To the Sky and BackIllustrations: Sofia Touliatou‘To the Sky and Back’. That’s how much Elli loved her grandmother, ‘and three somersaults’ because she had a soft spot for her. Together, they always had a brilliant time! Everlasting love is never lost, no matter what happens. It is sustained and strengthened by the most beautiful memories. A tender, moving story about how our loved ones remain in our hearts as our most precious treasure. Alexia Vernikou, M.A. Psychologist-Family Psychotherapist, and the award-winning illustrator Sofia Touliatou, have created an exceptionally tender fairy tale about love and loss that will leave no one unmoved. Series: KaraviaMaria Angelidou – Antonis PapatheodoulouIllustrations: Christos Kourtoglou The creators of the ‘Ships’ book series are back with two new titles: Ships that played with fire Ships that sailed on curiosity Ships real and imaginary, from mythology and literature, from ancient and recent history, invite us to set sail with them on a journey through space and time, a journey where everything can be told as a maritime tale.The first two books in the series have been recognised by the Greek Children’s Book Circle and have been included in the international White Ravens list. Ioulita Iliopoulou-Giorgos KourouposIllustrations: Yannis KottisBut when will this Wizard arrive? or Every Obstacle for the Best (A Musical Christmas Fairy Tale)Poet Ioulita Iliopoulou has written and narrates a unique Christmas fairy tale, a new, subversive take on the story of the Magi.The original music and songs by Giorgos Kouroupos accompany the funny, yet strange, adventures of the fourth Magus, Magus Avasal, who kept getting into all sorts of situations, always meeting someone and always delaying his arrival at the manger near the newborn Christ. The book was illustrated by the artist Yannis Kottis. The edition also includes a CD featuring a recording of the musical fairy tale.