Dinner with Persephone: Travels in Greece

I have always wanted to visit Greece. The landscapes, the weather, the food. Sigh. All of it has me spellbound. But. But! But, the more I read of Storace's Dinner with Persephone, I am not sure about the culture. I definitely do not agree with some of the attitudes towards women and marriage. Women are inferior to men. Sexual condescension is a thing. The accepted violence of smacking a wife or daughter around and how it is glamorized in television and movies is concerning. There is an ambivalence towards arson, too which I found odd.
Beyond the confusing side of Greek culture, I enjoyed learning about the icons of the region: a blue eye talisman hanging from an old woman's neck, the juicy red jewels of pomegranates, the fable of show more Dionysus and the plant. To be sure, there is a lot of religious talk in Dinner with Persephone. The people Storace talk with mention the Virgin Mary as if she is a next-door neighbor they bumped into while going for coffee. Children bring up events dating back to the Ottoman Empire as if it were yesterday. It is only a perception but it seems religion is worked into nearly every conversation.
There is a subtle, almost secretive sultriness to Storace's writing. I can't put my finger on why I think that. The language is tedious at times, but more often sensuous. show less

This is one of the most insightful books that I have read about modern Greece and its conflicted relationship to the past. Storace is sensitive to the complicated gender roles of Greece and the continuing evolution of Orthodoxy as Greece attempts to assert itself in the West. Though Storace lived in Athens in the '90s, her book continues to be relevant and offers some perspective on the current political and economic turmoil in Greece. If you are planning on visiting Greece or are simply looking for a beautifully written travelogue of an intriguing place (Storace is a poet and it shows in her prose), then I would definitely recommend this book.

This was recommended reading for an upcoming trip to Greece. It was an interesting glimpse into Greek culture; some chapters, like the beginning and the one about the children's book author, were more compelling than others.

Une étrangère mariée en Grèce. Intéressants éclairages sur la société grecque de la fin du XXe siècle.