Syntagma Square

While preparing for a recent visit to Greece, it occurred to me that I had not immersed myself in the Greek Literary scene despite repeated visits to that beautiful land.

So, I made a list of 3 modern fiction written by Greek writers and obviously translated into English. I then asked around for the bookshops that stock English titles and got two recommendations – Ianos and Politeia.

Both bookshops are located in the Syntagma Square area, and while the area surrounding the square is a traditional hub for tourists, it is a particularly attractive hub for book lovers.

It is crawling with bookshops of all sizes. While I did not find any of the three books I was looking for, I enjoyed the endless walk around the area, surfing the rich shelves of all the bookshops I could cram into my 2-hour schedule in the square.

In every bookshop I enquired, I was asked to check Public. The assumption was that if there were one shop where I could find it, it would be Public. I observed that every bookshop I entered had copies of God is My Witness displayed in the English section.

When I got to Public and did not find the books I wanted, I was disappointed despite being awed by the huge book collections (two whole floors) in the building. I decided to reduce my disappointment by checking out God is My Witness. The blurb seemed my kind of book, so I bought it. This should satisfy my craving for modern Greek literature until I find the three on my original list.