Category: Reading Greece

📌It was on 29 July 1925 that internationally renowned composer Mikis Theodorakis was born. He was famous not just for his diverse body of work but also for his active involvement in Greece’s political and social struggles during the second half of the 20th century.

📚The “Roads of the Archangel” by Mikis Theodorakis is a monumental autobiographical work covering his musical, ideological, and political journey. Originally issued in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was later republished in a refined two-volume edition in 2009 by the University of Crete Press. It offers not only a deep personal narrative but also a panoramic view of Greek cultural and political history throughout the mid 20th century.

Theodorakis presents a rich autobiographical account, delving into his childhood, formative years, and political and musical evolution. Yet, the work is not just personal memoir but also a portrait of Greek society and politics across tumultuous decades — from the Metaxas dictatorship, WWII, the Civil War, to the junta era and its aftermath. Indeed, the book offers a firsthand account of the personal, creative, and political paths of one of Greece’s most influential 20th-century figures and at the same time a national chronicle illustrating the intertwined history of art and politics in modern Greece.