The book focuses on Aivali,a Greek city on the Aegean shore opposite Lesbos, where, after the expulsion of Greek Christians and the population exchange, the empty houses (still standing today) were inhabited by Turkish Muslims removed from Crete. So Ayvali is a city that both divides and unites the two peoples.
The chapters about the past are based on writings by three authors, two Greeks (Fotis Kontoglou, Elias Venezis) and one Turk (Ahmet Yorulmaz), shedding light on the drama of at least 2 million people, victims of nationalism and war, in both sides of the Aegean Sea. This graphic novel, however, doesn't limit itself to a “local” narrative, since the text deals with themes such as war, fanaticism, nationalism, brotherhood, coexistence and tolerance, which are timeless and concern everybody in Europe and the world, especially today, with the European crisis having awakened the sinister ghosts of nationalism, racism and hatred.
http://www.steinkis.com/aivali-une-histoire-entre-gr-egrave-ce-et-turquie-3-43.html
French rights sold
Kedros, 2014, 360 p. b/w