Reading Club: What Lot's Wife Saw?

In March, the SNFCC Reading Club is dedicated to the memory of Filippos Tsimpoglou, Director General of the National Library of Greece (NLG).

In March, the SNFCC Reading Club continues its meetings, facilitated by writer Dimosthenis Papamarkos.

Dimosthenis Papamarkos was born in 1983 in Malesina of Locris. He studied Ancient Greek History in Athens and Oxford. He has published novels, short stories and graphic novels. In 2014, his short story collection Ghiak, which has been translated into Russian and German, earned him the Petros Haris Foundation / Academy of Athens award, as well as the award for best Short Story/Novella of the magazine Anagnostis. Papamarkos has also written theater and screenplays, and has translated classical Greek dramas for productions of the National Theater of Greece and the Athens and Epidaurus Festival. While an Onassis Artistic Research Fellow, he wrote the theatrical play Ston Koraka. He works as a content creator for projects of the Faliro House film productions company.a

On Monday, March 27, Reading Club facilitator Dimosthenis Papamarkos will welcome participants at the Book Castle, to exchange views based on the book of the month.

On Wednesday, March 29, the Reading Club’s meeting will take place online via Zoom. 

Both March Reading Club meetings will be held in the presence of the author of the book of the month, Ioanna Bourazopoulou.

March: What Lot's Wife Saw, Ioanna Bourazopoulou

In a not-so-distant future, the Overflow is changing the geography of the known world, submerging large swaths of land in Europe, Asia and Africa under sea water. Vienna and Paris are now ports, while the Colony, a city built close to “ground zero” of this biblical Cataclysm, becomes the center of this brave new world as controls the supply of “violet salt” — a substance that is both an outcome and the cause of the Overflow. The qualities of “violet salt” make it the most precious commodity in the world, a fact that radically changes global economy and the geopolitical balance of power. The Colony dominates production and distribution of the “salt,” and thus dominates over the entire world. However, the unexpected death of the Colony's Governor will disrupt the political balances in the city. The Consortium controlling the “salt” trade realizes that they have to restore the status quo ante or they may lose control of the Colony, i.e. the foundation of their power. Thus, they entrust Phileas Book, a great crossword puzzle solver and inventor of complex riddles, such as his three-dimensional crossword puzzle, to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding the Governor's death. What Lot's Wife Saw is a book that cannot easily be classified. It balances between mystery/crime fiction and pure Science Fiction. It appears to be a modern-day political allegory, but also a dystopian prediction of the near future. It combines the structure of an epistolary novel with that of a classic-style narrative, and it stands in discourse with various intertexts, from the Bible to the iconic Dune, as seen through a critical, topical and original gaze. With a writing that is able to build new worlds and “inhabit” them with familiar, accessible characters, masterfully balancing between philosophical reflection and an atmospheric yet fluid narrative, Ioanna Bourazopoulou’s What Lot's Wife Saw claims a spot among the leading novels of modern Greek literature..

Bio

Ioanna Bourazopoulou was born in 1968 in Athens, Greece. She studied Hotel Business Administration, earning her undergraduate degree from the School of Tourism in Rhodes and her post-graduate degree from the University of Buckingham. In 2002, she also graduated from the Greek National School of Public Administration. She spent her youth “changing cities and countries, studying and working, writing secret plays that were never staged,” as she puts it. Her debut novel, The Boudoir of Nadir, was released in 2003, followed two years later by The Secret Water. In 2007, her third novel, What Lot's Wife Saw, came to stir the waters of modern Greek prose. The book was to be loved by both critics and audiences, and enter the canon of contemporary Greek fiction. The Valley of Mud, the first part of the fictional trilogy “The Dragon of Prespa,” was published in 2014 to great acclaim, a fact that was also reflected in its being awarded by the Academy of Athens that same year. The second part of the trilogy was released in 2019 under the title Amber Desert to fully reveal an innovative fictional universe that pushes the boundaries of Greek literature. The writings of Ioanna Bourazopoulou constitute a special case in contemporary Greek prose, as their boldness has succeeded to renew the themes of modern Greek novels, while their integrity has managed to win the undeniable respect of readers and critics alike.

Monday 27/03 | 18.30-20.30
NLG BOOK CASTLE 

For adults | Up to 30 participants
Free admission, online preregistration required 

Wednesday 29/03 | 18.30-20.30
ZOOM
 

For adults | Up to 50 participants

Free admission, online preregistration required 

Pre-registration starts on 01/03, at 12.00

Facilitator: Dimosthenis Papamarkos 

To participate in the Reading Club, it is necessary for those who hold a position to have read the book of the month. (It is also useful to have it with them).

The book What Lot's Wife Saw by Ioanna Bourazopoulou is available in Greek by Kastaniotis Editions.  .

As part of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center's collaboration with the National Library of Greece, the book for the Reading Club has been chosen by NLG staff members.