Monday 31 May 2021 18:30
The SNFCC Reading Club, coordinated by Giannis Palavos, continues in May.
On Monday, May 31, bibliophiles renew their monthly appointment, to discuss the book they read during the month that just passed. The group of readers will once again have the opportunity to come together and use the book of the month as a starting point to share experiences, emotions and ideas, as well as to create new friendships and exchange opinions.
May Book of the Month: Samuel Butler, The Way of All Flesh
Subversive as very few of his contemporaries in the literary world, the English novelist and critic Samuel Butler (1835 – 1902) decried, with this trademark scathing humor, the customs and traditions of British society of his era, while fervently supporting ideas that were remarkably progressive in the context of late 19th century propriety: he advocated for motherhood and cohabitation outside of marriage, and publicly denounced the conventional family model. He came from a family of Anglican priests, was brought up in a very strict environment, and was set to join the priesthood himself, but art and literature ultimately won him over. He is best known for his epic translations of Homer, as well as for his utopian novella Erewhon (1872). He also published essays on scientific and religious topics, and publicized his singular interpretations on Shakespeare’s sonnets in texts that caused a stir in literary circles. The multitalented Butler also tried his hand at painting – his artworks were sporadically exhibited at the Royal Academy – and composing secular and religious music.
The Way of All Flesh (1903), which was released a year after the author’s death, is considered his masterpiece and ranked 12th on the list of 100 best English-language novels of the twentieth century, according to U.S. publisher Modern Library. In this book, the shrewd and cynical author stirs the stagnant waters of British puritan society, denouncing the family autarchy, tyrannical bigotry, and hypocrisy of Victorian-era ethics through the tale of four generations of the Pontiflex family, whom he dissects with almost surgical precision: from humble carpenter John to Ernesto, the protagonist of The Way of All Flesh, who goes through hell and high water until he finally breaks free from the past and lets go of the obligations of a life that doesn’t express him, to ultimately discover true freedom.
Giannis Palavos was born in Velvento, Kozani, in 1980. He studied Journalism at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and Arts Administration at the Panteion University in Athens. He has written the short story collections True love and other stories (Intro Books 2007), Joke (Nefeli 2012), which received the State Literary Award for Best Short Story, and the Short Story Prize of the online literary journal O Anagnostis, and The child (Nefeli, 2019). Working together with Tasos Zafeiriadis, he wrote the script for the graphic novels The Corpse (Jemma Press 2011) and Gra-Grou (Ikaros 2017), illustrated by Thanasis Petrou; Gra-Grou received the prize for Best Comic and Best Script at the Greek Comics Awards. He also edited the republication of Athanasios Gravalis’ short stories Broken Columns (1930), as part of the “Prose Tradition” series by Nefeli Publishing (2019), and translated works by Tobias Wolff, Alden Nowlan, Breece D'J Pancake, Wallace Stegner, Flannery O’Connor, William Faulkner, etc.
Monday 31/05, 18.30-20.30
Ζοοm
For adults Up to 50 participants Participation by online pre-registration
Pre-registration starts on Wednesday 05/05 at 12.00
Coordinator: Giannis Palavos, author
To take part in the Reading Club, registered participants are required to have read the book of the month.
The Reading Club will meet online via Zoom.
Due to public health measures, there may be changes regarding either the staging of the event, or the maximum number of participants.
