1st National Book Presentation at Fougaro of Victoria Hislop's Cartes Postales from Greece
Victoria Hislop—author of The island. One of the world's greatest publishing hits of recent years, with over 3 million copies sold—comes to FOUGARO on Saturday 5 November at 7.30pm to present for the first time in Greece her latest novel, Cartes Postales from Greece [Greek version from Dioptra Press], which is partly set in Nafplio.
Her journey, as she notes in a Daily Mail article, " began in Nafplio, which was the first capital of the Greek State". Victoria Hislop loved the harbour and the town's lines, and then visited Kalamata and Porto Heli, essentially composing an ode to the Greek landscape.
On this occasion, Yannis Stamos (PhD Lit), head of the Anthos Library, will have a discussion with the author who will then sign copies of her book, which will be available for sale in situ.
The story
Week after week, Ellie finds in her mailbox postcards addressed to a name does not know, with no return address, each signed with an initial: A. With their bright skies, blue seas and alluring images of Greece, these cartes postales brighten her life.
After six months, to her disappointment, they cease. But the montage she has created on the wall of her flat has cast a spell. She must see this country for herself.
On the morning Ellie leaves for Athens, a notebook arrives. Its pages tell the story of a man’s odyssey through Greece. Moving, surprising and sometimes dark, A’s tale unfolds with the discovery not only of a culture but also of a desire to live life to the full once more.
ADMISSION FREE
Victoria Hislop was born in Bromley, Kent in 1959 and studied English literature at St Hilda's College, Oxford. Upon the birth of her first child she decided on a career change and worked as a freelance travel journalist.
Her first novel, The island, was #1 on the Sunday Times' best-seller list for eight consecutive weeks. Sold in 23 countries, it is on the list of the world's most successful novels and one of the 100 books that marked the decade. Its success led to a request for the film rights by Hollywood producers. According to herself, she refused to let Hollywood dramatize her book and opted to let the Greek MEGA TV channel to adapt it into a series which met with unprecedented success; as she has stated, "I feared that in Hollywood it might end up as a horror film".
Her love of the Mediterranean led her to Spain and her next best seller, The Return, which deals with the painful secrets of the Spanish civil war. With her novel The Thread she returns to Greece to tell the tumultuous story of Thessaloniki and its people. The book was shortlist for the British Book Awards.
Her writing continued with The Last Dance and Other Stories, set in Greece. Her fourth novel, The Sunrise, was much praised and reached #1 on the Sunday Times' best sellers list. She shares her time between England and Greece.
