Mythology & Meatballs: A Greek Island Diary/Cookbook

by Daniel Spoerri, Jeanne Jammbu (Illustrator)

English, French (translation)

Hardcover

First published March 1, 1970

About the author

Daniel Spoerri was a Romanian-born Swiss visual artist and writer. Spoerri is best known for his "snare-pictures," a type of assemblage or object art, in which he captured a group of objects, such as the remains of meals eaten by individuals, including the plates, silverware, and glasses, all of which are fixed to the table or board, which is then displayed on a wall. He also is widely acclaimed for his book, Topographie Anécdotée* du Hasard (An Anecdoted Topography of Chance), a literary analog to his snare-pictures, in which he mapped all the objects located on his table at a particular moment, describing each with his personal recollections evoked by the object.

Reviews

[S Cearley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should not be read as a cookbook as much as it is a diary working through the foodlife of an island. There are recipes, and many of them, but the purpose of the book is to record the simple life Spoerri led for those months on Symi.

There is additional information from both the compiler as well as the translator, resulting in a book that has both footnotes and endnotes.

A marvelous read of people enjoying their life in the moment, enjoying their history as it affects them today, and not considering, not worrying about what the past might bear on their future.

[Ano Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Love Greece, love the food. Loved them intertwined.

[Bryce Digdug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conceptual artist Daniel Spoerri travels to a Greek Island to "identify" found objects and also write a recipe book of local delicacies. Whether he actually went to the island at all is a matter of debate.