Imaret by Yiannis Kalpouzos

Imaret by Yiannis Kalpouzos is this article’s proposal of a Greek book and is addressed to beginners (in English version) and to speakers of Greek as a foreign language who have an advanced level of language skills in Greek (in the original version, as well as to admirers of the Greek language and culture. The book is called “Imaret: Three Gods, one city”, written by Yiannis Kalpouzos, published by Psichogios Publications and the reason why I choose this book is because it is an interesting and emotional book.

The author Yiannis Kalpouzos

The writer Yiannis Kalpouzos was born in 1960 in the village of Melates in Arta. He has written poetry collections, lyrics for 80 songs, short stories, and novels. In 2009 he was honored with the Greek National Readers Award for his novel “Imaret”. The author has written many books in the past and the present book Imaret is another one in the list.

Yannis Kalpouzos graduated from ACG and went on to study law at Harvard University. After graduating from Harvard Law School he returned to Greece where he practiced law for many years before becoming involved in politics. In 1959 he became Minister of Justice under Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis’s government.

Imaret: three gods, one city

The story of the book takes place in Arta in 1854, during the period of Ottoman rule. As reported by the publisher, “two boys are born on the same night, one is Greek, the other is Turk, and fate makes them milk-siblings. The novel follows their life drawn on the canvas of the region’s unknown history. An entire era is brought to life in a unique way portraying prejudice alongside adventure, love, comic, and tragic situations.

In the shadow of the clock which strikes the Ottoman hours, Greeks, Turks, and Jews live side by side. The shadow falls upon two friends, Liondos and Necip, a mysterious murder, Grandpa Ismail, the small nation of Greece, the Ottoman Empire, Dogan the fanatic, conflicts, rebellions, everyday life, stone-throwing fights, Ramazan, coffee houses, hammams, smugglers, crofters, estate owners, wealth and poverty and the sweetness and bitterness of life. For, there is a place for everything in the imaret of God.”

The novel is written in three parts, each part consisting of four chapters or sections. The first part deals with the protagonist’s life before imprisonment; the second part deals with his time in prison; and the third part deals with his life after release.

Why to choose this book

I read this book for the first time when I was in high school and later, in university, I read it again and it really impressed me! It’s about peoples’ living and their relationships with each other and their problems. I have more book proposals for you.

When I started reading Imaret for the first time, I found out that his writing style was very simple yet engaging enough so that readers will want to keep reading until the end. At first glance, you might think that there’s nothing special about this book but once you start reading it you will be amazed!

It’s written from different points of view so you get to know each character very well and care about them all equally well too! The book stands out because it illuminates aspects of Greek history, reflecting the society of that period, while the characters are sketched in depth, honestly giving a charming story that captures the reader’s interest.

 

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