by Anna Harvey
Polis: A town consisting of a citadel and lower town.
Politai: The male citizens of the town.
Pronnoi: An ancient city located on the adjacent island of Same to the south, facing towards the Greek mainland.
Same: In Homeric language used to refer to the main part of the island of Kefalonia after the town of Same. This area in modern times forms a single landmass with the Pale peninsula and the irregular shaped island of Kefalonia.
Thinakia: The ancient Mycenean name for Sicily.
Tiryns: A Mycenean citadel located in the fertile Argive plain in the northeast Peloponnese, renowned in Homeric times for its mighty walls. The modern archaeological site has distinctive cyclopean tunnels.
Xenia: The honour and hospitality accorded to a guest.
Xeno: A stranger and therefore due the rights of hospitality.
Yeia Yeia: Grandmother in Modern Greek.
Zakynthos: The ancient name for the island of Zante, the most southerly of the Ionian Islands.
Zephyr: The west wind, known for its light gentle breeze.
Zeus: The patriarch of the gods and ruler of the sky, thunder and lightning.
Selected Bibliography
Although a fictional novel, this work is hugely indebted and built upon the previous scholarship of others. Where possible, great care has been taken to reflect accurately existing information known from historical and literary sources. In terms of the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, the following translations and commentaries have been invaluable primary sources:-
Green, Peter (2015) Homer’s Iliad Translation (University of California Press)
Hammond, Martin (2000) Translation of Homer’s The Odyssey (Bloomsbury)
Jones, Peter (2004) Homer’s Odyssey: A commentary based on the English translation of Richard Lattimore. (Duckworth)
Jones, Peter (2010) Homer’s Iliad: A commentary on three translations. (Duckworth)
Lattimore, Richmond (1961) The Iliad of Homer Translation (University of California Press)
Lattimore, Richmond (1967) The Odyssey of Homer: A Modern Translation (Harper and Row)
Other Sources on Mythology, Topography and Location
Bittlestone, Robert, Diggle, James and Underhill, John (2005) Odysseus Unbound: The Search for Homer’s Ithaca (Cambridge University Press)
Bradford, Ernle (1964)Ulysses Found (Century Publishing)
Ferry, Luc (2014)The Wisdom of Myths (HarperCollins)
Graves, Robert (2011)The Greek Myths (Penguin Books)
Roller, D.W. (2014)The Geography of Strabo (Cambridge University Press)
Le Noan, Gilles (2001)The Ithaca of the Sunset (Tremen)
Main, Tom (1975) “Some Psychodynamics of Large Groups,” in Kreeger, L. (ed) The Large Group: pages 57-86. London: Constable. Republished (1989) Main, T.F. The Ailment and other Psychoanalytic Essays. London: Free Association Books.
Morkot, Robert (1996)The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece (Penguin Books)
Acknowledgements
They say that it takes a whole village to raise a child, in the same way I am grateful for the help and support of a whole host of people in bringing this work to fruition. First among those is Gill, with whom through numerous conversations the characters and storyline of the novel slowly evolved and took shape. Alongside Gill, also Janet McCarthy, Artemis Hionides, Ant Devonport and my lifelong husband and partner Derek, for their reading of an early draft and offering suggestions. My particular gratitude to Artemis Hionides, not only for her dry wit and encouragement when the going got tough, but also for her considerable knowledge and insights into Greek language and culture, both ancient and modern. Also Alex and Freya, my adult children, who helped keep me grounded and humble.
In terms of editing, I owe a huge debt of thanks to Barbara Windle for her formidable critical eye and astute copy editing, along with Terry Kay for his generous and expert proof reading.
Regarding the researching the historical background to the novel, my thanks for the help and support of the staff at the Iakovitis Library, the Corgialenos public library and local archive on Kefalonia, as well as the Hellenic and Roman Library in the Institute of Classical Studies, London. In addition by correspondence Mina Theofilatou on Kefalonian colloquialisms, Andrew Shapland of the British Museum for sources on Mycenean domestic architecture and UCL London regarding Bronze Age archaeological sites on the Ionian Islands.
Finally I am indebted to the people of Kefalonia, past and present, who provided the essential inspiration. Any shortcomings or faults contained within this work of fiction are my own.
About the Author
Anna Harvey has always been fascinated with Ancient Greece and read Ancient Greek, Ancient History and Archaeology (BA) at Bristol University. While later pursuing her doctoral degree, she lived and worked in Greece for several years where she first encountered Kefalonia and the Kefalonian people. After returning to the UK, Anna retrained as a clinical psychologist and has worked in mental health for almost three decades, gaining a unique insight and perspective into human psychology. In addition to her clinical work, Anna is a passionate advocate of sustainability and well-being. She is involved in a number of initiatives, including writing a psychological health blog, mentoring and political campaigning. Anna now lives in Leeds, West Yorkshire, with her husband, the family cat and an array of hedgehogs. This is her debut novel. To find out more about Anna, future publications, news and events please visit her website at anna-harvey.co.uk.
