The Literature

This week in Greece I came upon The Greek National Library. It was established on May 15th, 1832 but was later joined with the Athens University. Since I never really went to college, I decided to take a look at the literature they had there. Oh my goodness, there was a huge array of very old books. I came upon Homer’s Classic, The Odyssey. Homer is universally known as Greece’s most classic historical author of all time. The Odyssey the sequel to Iliad, is about Odysseus, the hero of Greece that goes to fight in the Trojan War. This fiction depicts Greece because it has so much reference to the Greek gods. In The Odyssey I found a line that struck my attention, “ Be of good cheer, and let not these things distress your heart…” I find it amazing that words so old can be relatable to all of us.

Homer is not the only historic writer to ever come out of Greece though. In the book, Modern Greek Writing I came upon a writer that was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1963. His name is George Seferis and he was the first Greek to be honored this way. In this collection of writers he really caught my eye. In the first line of his poem, Upon a Foreign Verse he references to Homer’s The Odyssey in the first line. This poem “ Upon a Foreign Verse” when I read it gave me the chills. The use of visualization is great. I highly recommend you read his work.

Not only are there great men writers in Greece but also there are also great women poets. In the book, The Rehearsal of Misunderstanding I came upon a contemporary poet named Jenny Mastoraki. Her poems also reference to Homer’s stories, because she talks about the Underworld. Greek Folklore is still prevalent in Greece today.

When I walked into the huge national library I really realized how much the Greeks take pride in their culture. I wish I were more involved with my heritage, because then I could more pride in a certain culture. It doesn’t help to be a “mutt”.

References

Homer. “The Odyssey”. 2nd. 2. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University

Press, 1995. 29. Print.

Seferis, George. "Upon a Foreign Verse." Modern Greek Writing. 1st

Ed.London: Peter Owen Publishers, 2003. Print.

Van Dyck, Karen, and Jenny Mastoraki. "Tales of the Deep: The

Underground." The Rehearsal of Misunderstanding: Three

Collections by Contemporary Greek Women Poets. 1st Ed. New England: Wesleyan University Press, 1998. Print.