I-Heart-Mykonos-tank-top.jpg
Greek-flag-socks.jpg
Santorini-luggage-tag.jpg
save-water-drink-ouzo-t-shirt.jpg

Greek Literature

Greek literature has influenced the world, from the works of Homer, called the world's first novelist, through its great poets and dramatists to modern authors.

Statue of the Blind HomerStatue of the Blind Homer

The influence of Greece on the literature of the world has been profound and the country's literary past resonates down through the centuries. Modern literature has its roots in Homer, and those roots still nourish Greece's - and the world's - literary tree. Arguably the greatest novel of the 20th century was Ulysses, by the Irish writer James Joyce, who based the plan for his complex and experimental book on Homer's The Odyssey.

The World's First Travel Writer?

It could be said that the Greeks invented travel writing, too, as the first such book was Hellados Periegesis (Description of Greece) by the historian and traveller Pausanias, who lived in the 2nd century AD and provided this guide for Roman visitors to Greece's classical sites. Yes, tourism goes back that far! Pausanias's book is as useful today as it was back then, as indeed are several books by historians that give us literary accounts of life in ancient Greece, notably the Histories by Herodotus (circa 484-425 BC) and The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides (circa 460-400 BC).

The Father of History

Herodotus has been called the Father of History, and his book is regarded as the first major work of nonfiction, just as Homer produced the first major works of fiction. Herodotus's book slightly predates Thucydides's The History of the Peloponnesian War. It includes sections on the Persian Wars (490 and 481-479 BC) but also illuminates life in those days with accounts of legends, customs, beliefs, traditions, and everyday events that bring the period vividly alive once again.

Thucydides

The value of Thucydides's book is immense for several reasons, not least because of the chronicle it gives of the war itself. Though Thucydides participated in the war as an Athenian commander, he also saw the value of recording events, and of trying to give an objective rather than partisan account. He interviewed combatants and quotes the speeches of the leaders in a manner that serves as a template to this day.

Greek Poetry and Drama

The great Greek poets, from Homer to Elytis, are described on our Great Greek Poets page. We also have a page on Greek Drama, covering writers such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Another page covers Cretan writers and artists, including the towering Greek literary figure of Nikos Kazantzakis, author of Zorba the Greek and many other fine works.

More Modern Greek Writers

Greece has many other fine writers that are perhaps less well-known to the outside world, simply because of the language they write in. The enterprising Athenian publisher Kedros has published a superb series called Modern Greek Writers, translating some contemporary works into English for the first time.

Farewell Anatolia

Greek writers still battle with the big themes, as shown by Dido Sotiriou (1909-2004) in her novel Farewell Anatolia. A best-seller in Greece since it was published in 1962, the book recounts the forced exchange of Greek and Turkish populations in 1923. Its publication in a Turkish translation in 1970 was welcomed as providing a greater understanding of the suffering on both sides, and in 1990 the author was awarded the highest literary award in Greece, the prize of the Academy of Athens.

Eugenia Fakinou

Eugenia Fakinou (born 1945) is another female writer whose books deal with what it means to be Greek. Her first novel, Astradeni, has remained in print in Greece since it was published in 1982, and has also been translated into English. It tells a tale familiar to many Greeks, of a family forced by circumstance to leave its island home to move to Athens in search of a better life. The young girl who tells the story, Astradeni, depicts the changes with the bold and simple gaze of a child.

Petros Abatzoglou 

Petros Abatzoglou (1931-2004) wrote several novels and collections of stories, but for an outsider perhaps the most interesting would be What Does Mrs Freeman Want? It gives the Greek perspective on a pair of English tourists who come to soak up the sun, while the book's narrator observes them and soaks up the ouzo.

Other Greek writers and artists pages

  • The Golden Age of Greek drama saw playwrights including Aeschylus, Sophocles, Aristophanes and Euripides all writing, and you can still see a play at Epidavros.

    Greek Drama

    The Golden Age of Greek drama saw playwrights including Aeschylus, Sophocles, Aristophanes and Euripides all writing, and you can still see a play at Epidavros.

  • Icon painting is a centuries-old tradition in Crete and the rest of Greece, and Greece Travel Secrets meets a modern-day icon painter in Elounda on Crete.

    The Icon Painter

    Icon painting is a centuries-old tradition in Crete and the rest of Greece, and Greece Travel Secrets meets a modern-day icon painter in Elounda on Crete.

  • Greece Travel Secrets found these beautiful photos of Greece and the Greek islands by Athens-based photographer Milan Gonda.

    Photos of Greece

    Greece Travel Secrets found these beautiful photos of Greece and the Greek islands by Athens-based photographer Milan Gonda.

  • Did Homer write The Odyssey and The Iliad, and what is known about the life of this famous Greek writer, when did he live, where was he born, and was he blind?

    Homer and the Odyssey

    Did Homer write The Odyssey and The Iliad, and what is known about the life of this famous Greek writer, when did he live, where was he born, and was he blind?

  • There are many great Greek poets, with two authors winning the Nobel Prize for Literature and names include Sappho, Cavafy, George Seferis and Odysseus Elytis.

    Great Greek Poets: Cavafy, Sappho, George Seferis, Odysseus Elytis

    There are many great Greek poets, with two authors winning the Nobel Prize for Literature and names include Sappho, Cavafy, George Seferis and Odysseus Elytis.

  • The most famous Cretan writers and artists include the painter El Greco and the author of Zorba the Greek, Nikos Kazantzakis.

    Cretan Writers and Artists

    The most famous Cretan writers and artists include the painter El Greco and the author of Zorba the Greek, Nikos Kazantzakis.

Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

Latest Posts

  1. Athens Airport: New Curbside Pick-up Rules Take Effect June 7

    In efforts to improve the passenger drop-off and pick-up experience and in view of the expected increase in international traveler arrivals, Athens International Airport (AIA) announced that it would…

    Read More

  2. Study Reveals the Tourist ‘Types’ that Pick Thessaloniki for Holidays

    Art lovers, active types and foodies are among the ‘travel tribes’ that select Thessaloniki, as their holiday destination, found a visitor profile study released this week by the Thessaloniki Hotels A…

    Read More

  3. Greece to Protect Historic Athens Cinemas Ideal and Astor

    The Greek Environment Ministry’s Central Council of Architecture (KESA) has decided to protect Athens’ Astor and Ideal cinemas designating the two historic landmarks as cultural monuments, said the Gr…

    Read More

  4. Thessaloniki Metro Almost Ready, Greek PM on First Test Run

    Thessaloniki’s highly anticipated metro, to serve almost 250,000 commuters a day once completed, is almost ready with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis taking a test ride this week. Mitsota…

    Read More

  5. Thessaloniki Food, Nightlife Winning Over More Tourists

    The nightlife and food are two of Thessaloniki’s strong points attracting more visitors to the northern port city, found a satisfaction study released this week by the Thessaloniki Hotels Association…

    Read More

  6. Air Passenger Traffic to Greece Continues to Mark Sharp Rise

    Passenger arrivals across all airports in Greece marked a sharp increase in the first four months of the year up by 7.4 percent compared to pre-Covid 2019 and by 38.4 percent over the same period in 2…

    Read More

  7. Greece Among Top Choices of British easyJet Flyers this Summer

    British holidaymakers flying on easyJet are picking Greece this year, according to a poll conducted by the budget carrier. More specifically, according to the survey carried out on 2,000 British adult…

    Read More

  8. Uber Launches On-demand Boat Service on Mykonos Island, Greece

    Ride-hailing company Uber recently announced that it will launch a new seasonal private charter boat service on the Greek island of Mykonos. Available from mid-June to October, “Boat” will be an on-de…

    Read More

  9. Mykonos Tops Airbnb’s Most Searched Int’l Destinations by US Travelers in Q1

    The Greek island of Mykonos is the top most searched for international destination by US travelers seeking Airbnb accommodation in the first quarter of the year, according to the Airbnb 2023 Summer re…

    Read More

  10. Greece’s Regional Airports Outdo Pre-Covid 2019 Traffic Levels in April

    Greece’s 14 regional airports exceeded pre-Covid 2019 levels last month handling a total of 1.6 million passengers, said managing company Fraport Greece. More specifically, according to Fraport data…

    Read More