“If you take ten dogs and abandon them in wilderness, without a single living soul, those dogs will turn back into wolves within a few weeks..” The powerful and stylistically brilliant family saga of Greece’s acclaimed literary master follows the life of Christophoros during his three, very different, consecutive marriages to Petroula, Eftha and Persa. Together with their children, they all represent purely angelic and evil nuances of the human soul. Zateli’s characters are archetypal, like totems or masks, and rich sources of reading pleasure… Unique in structure, style, and narrative voice, Zateli’s masterpiece, combines classical mythology, folklore, and actual historical events with ingenious invention. It is a touchstone of contemporary Greek literature, awarded the Greek State Prize for Best Novel in 1994, and is an essential introduction to this rightfully celebrated author.

National Book Award of Fiction, 1993 and 2002
Academy of Letters’ Lifetime Achievement Award, 2010

Kastaniotis, 2009, 672p.