Climax in Crete

by Theodore Stephanides

The invasion of Crete from the point of view of an English-Greek doctor in the british army

Genres: History

166 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1946

About the author

Theodore Stephanides (21 January 1896 – 13 April 1983) was a Greek poet, author, doctor and naturalist.

Reviews

[David Gillett · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinarily compelling straightforward narrative of a military disaster -- the 1941 Battle of Crete. I read it straight through. Stephanides' directness, compassion, intelligence and insight shine through.

Theodore Stephanides is familiar to readers of Gerald Durrell's "My Family and Other Animals" and the TV series "The Durrells in Corfu". He was Durrell's mentor and lifelong friend.

As a doctor and a lieutenant in the British Army, he lived through the rout and tells the story in detail. He intersperses the narrative with references to Cretan culture. I found YouTube an invaluable accompaniment.

The book is not generally available. I got it via Interlibrary Loan (ILL) from my local branch library.

[Avis Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Stephanides' personal account about the Axis invasion of Crete during World War II and the military collapse there. The author, a doctor for the Allies in the conflict, describes the messy retreat very well. Anyone who's read My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell will recognize Stephanides as the Durrell's family friend Theo.