Λέσχη Ανάγνωσης: Φαρενάιτ 451  - Εικόνα

The SNFCC Book Club meetings continue in November, featuring books selected by staff of the National Library of Greece and moderated by poet and translator Krystalli Glyniadaki. 

Book lovers renew their appointment for Monday, November 29, to meet up and discuss the book they read over the past month. The circle of readers will once again have the opportunity to share experiences, feelings and ideas, as well as to make new friends and exchange viewpoints, prompted by the book of the month.
Book of the month for November: Anna Burns, Milkman

 

Anna Burns was born in 1962 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She has authored three novels (No Bones; Little Constructions; Milkman) and the novella Mostly Hero. No Bones was awarded the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction. The highly acclaimed Milkman is considered one of the best novels of her generation. In 2021, Anna Burns was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She lives in Essex, on the southern coast of England.

An 18-year-old girl comes of age during the Northern Ireland conflict, in an anonymous city populated by residents bearing symbolic names, such as Somebody McSomebody, Milkman, Middle Sister, “maybe-boyfriend.” Milkman, in particular, is a high-ranking paramilitary officer who sets his eyes on the 18-year-old girl, pursuing and stalking her until she gives in; and the girl, living in a world that only recognizes and rewards violence and threats, is forced to accept his presence in her life. 

This forms the “window” through which Anna Burns ushers us into the inhuman, irrational, violent world of civil conflict: a world of absolute division, where one may consume the “right” or the “wrong” kind of butter, the “right” or the “wrong” type of tea. Every move, every thought, the way you walk, the sidewalk you choose, is a telltale informing others which side you’re on and which side you’re against; hence, also, what your life is worth and whether you deserve to be alive or not. The 18-year-old protagonist, a helpless hostage to this divisive logic, outlines not only Northern Ireland (which remains unnamed), but also every country in which the forces of division have neutralized the forces of unity: every minute of the day spent in fear; the absoluteness of belief; the despotism of religion; the inhumanity of nationalism; the rot of patriarchy; the worthlessness of human life.

A great novel about every civil conflict, in any country, at any time. 
It is hardly surprising that it was honored with so many awards (Man Booker Prize, International Dublin Literary Award, Orwell Prize for Political Fiction).
The (superb) Greek translation belongs to the untiring Maria Angelidou.
 

Krystalli Glyniadaki was born in 1979 in Athens. She studied Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, and Political Theory in London and, later, Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. She has issued three collections of poetry in Greek (all published by Polis publications), the last of which—Τhe Return of the Dead—received the Greek National Literature Award for Poetry in 2018. She has been an officially invited author to the international Istanbul Book Fair and International Izmir Literature Festival. Her poems have been translated into English, Turkish, German, Slovenian and Italian, and her first English-language collection of poetry is to be released in the United Kingdom soon. She works as a translator—mostly of Norwegian literature—and as a book editor, and writes pieces for Norwegian online media. Her latest love is online interactive historical documentaries (i doc), on which she has just finished her dissertation at Bournemouth University.
 

Monday 29/10 | 18:30–20:30 
NLG BOOK CASTLE

For adults
Up to 30 participants
Free participation by online pre-registration

 

Preregistration starts on Monday 01/11 at 12.00

Moderator: Krystalli Glyniadaki 
Anyone reserving a seat at the Book Club is required to have read the book of the month.
 

To enter the event space is mandatory to demonstrate a certificate of vaccination or illness.

For all cases of an official document demonstration, a parallel identity check of the holder will be carried out.

The use of face mask and social distancing measures are mandatory in indoor and outdoor areas of the SNFCC, in accordance with Hellenic National Public Health Organization regulations. 

Due to public health measures, there may be changes regarding either the staging of the event, or the maximum number of participants.

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