Brandy Sour

by Constantia Soteriou, Lina Protopapa (translator)

The Winner of the 2023 Cypriot National Book Prize

When it was built in the 1950s, nothing symbolised Cyprus entering the modern world like the Ledra Palace Hotel. In Constantia Soteriou's jewel of a novella, the ambitions and shortcomings of the island's turbulent twentieth century are played out by its occupants. Among them we meet the king in exile who needs to drown his sorrows with a drink disguised to look like tea; the porter who, among the English roses of the hotel's gardens, secretly plants a rose from his village to make his rosebud infusions; the UN officer who drinks lemonade to deal with the heat and the lies; and the cleaning lady who always carries her holy water with her. They are reluctant actors in history, evocatively captured in this moving, personal, and highly original portrait of civil strife and division.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Greece, Historical, Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literature

98 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 19, 2022

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. Using the grand Ledra Palace Hotel in Nicosia, Cyprus as the connecting piece, Soteriou tells the recent history of a country through short vignettes of the lives of those associated with the hotel in some way and the pairing of a local beverage with their tale. It sounds like it could be one of those contrived repetitive premises that feature all too frequently in Japanese and Korean cozy fiction, but this approach feels clever, it feels stylistically savvy in a way those others never are.

Taking place at varying points in the second half of the 20th century, we witness, through a king, through a maid, through a guerrilla fighter, through a doorman, the changes that the city and island go through, from its postcolonial era to independence to the invasion and division of the island. The hotel, just as much a character as the rest, stands through it all as a symbol of the state of the conflict. Once a palatial and exquisite hotel, by the end of this short novel it’s a dilapidated structure threatening to crumble at any moment.

I’m very impressed with the economical approach to telling this story, so much information is imparted in so few words and never directly. It’s a captivating read.

[Kyriakos Sorokkou]

χρόνος ανάγνωσης κριτικής: 42 δευτερόλεπτα

Το τέταρτο βιβλίο της Κωνσταντίας Σωτηρίου που εκδίδει και φυσικά
το τέταρτό της που διαβάζω. Πρώτη φορά όμως φέτος με παρέα από Ελλάδα.

Άλλο ένα βιβλίο το οποίο ασχολείται με την πρόσφατη ιστορία της Κύπρου
γεμάτο και αυτό γεύσεις και αρώματα. 

Το Λήδρα Πάλας εγώ το γνώρισα και το ήξερα ως μικρότερος απλά σαν οδόφραγμα.
Πολύ αργότερα έμαθα ότι πριν την καταραμένη εισβολή
υπήρξε και ήταν ξενοδοχείο πολυτελείας. 

Και αυτό το βιβλίο λέει την ιστορία του ξενοδοχείου αυτού,
και μέσα από την ιστορία αυτού του ξενοδοχείου μαθαίνουμε και την ιστορία
του εθνικού κοκτέιλ της Κύπρου, το πώς γεννήθηκε δηλαδή το Μπράντι Σάουαρ,
και ταυτόχρονα βλέπουμε και μαθαίνουμε για την ιστορία της Κύπρου
από την δεκαετία του ‘40 μέχρι σήμερα. 

Κάθε κεφάλαιο και άλλος χαρακτήρας, κάθε κεφάλαιο και άλλο ρόφημα
 χαρακτηριστικό της Κύπρου.
Μπράντι Σάουαρ, Κουμανταρία, Ζιβανία, Αφρόζα, κονιάκκι, κλπ. 
Κάθε κεφάλαιο και μια πάλη οπτική γωνία της ιστορίας της Κύπρου. 
Η αιγυπτιακή, η εβραϊκή, η εγγλέζικη, η τουρκοκυπριακή, η ελληνοκυπριακή κλπ.


Υλικά:
2 μέρη κυπριακό κονιάκ 
1 μέρος λεμονάδα (συμπυκνωμένη/σκουώς)
4 σταγόνες Αγκοστούρα
σόδα / Sprite / 7Up
Σε περίπτωση έλλειψης αγκοστούρας
ο μπαμπάς μου πρόσθετε 2-3 γαρίφαλα ελαφρώς χτυπημένα.

[Gemma W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. A series of shorts about a character and their favourite drink as they pass through the Ledra Palace Hotel in central Nicosia.

[Faustibooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely book! This was great little book to start off my “post-thesis reading spree”. Simple yet sweet and wonderful. The writing had some kind of poetic feel and structure to it that I quite enjoyed. I particularly liked the first story about the king. Four stars!

[Anastasia Ts. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 αστέρια

[meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was like a historical stream of consciousness people watching activity and i thoroughly enjoyed that but now i must do a deep dive into the history of cyprus and turkey

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A set of interlinked vignettes, that creates snapshots of characters that either inhabit, visit or work in a grand hotel in Cyprus, describing aspects of their lives or events that surround them that mirror all that gas affected the country.

Told through a character and a beverage, each mini story builds a picture of a complex history and of change, and how these rituals and recipes, whether its the brandy Sour, the rosebud tea, the grape molasses or mere water help them navigate the way.

I loved this novella length book and the way it invites the reader to understand more of the history and cultural heritage of a country struggling against division and letting go of the past.

Beautifully written and translated.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rollercoaster of enjoyment with these stories. I think it started strong and then slightly lost its way. There is a limit to how much you can repeat yourself in a 3 page story.

However a really interesting concept for short stories. I enjoyed the decision to follow the war through mostly adjacent characters and I was really won back by the mayors story.

Cyprus complete in my challenge to read a book from everywhere around the world!

[Amelia Petersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

While technically short stories they felt much more like chapters, which I do prefer. A really charming and moving book for something so short but I think the translation weakened it slightly.

[audra swan · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the most beautiful things i’ve read in a long time. incredible, captivating writing, with such a clever and unique way to tell people’s stories. this is how i wish i could write.

[Paraskevi Parissi]

Σήμερα θα σας παρουσιάσω ένα βιβλίο που μου έκανε εντύπωση λόγω της προσέγγισης του θέματος από τη συγγραφέα. Μου έκανε εντύπωση πραγματικά και ενθουσιάστηκα σαν μικρό παιδί, γιατί κάθε φορά που το σκεφτόμουν μετά την ανάγνωση του αντιτύπου χαμογελούσα πικρά για τον έξυπνο, πρωτότυπο τρόπο εξιστόρησης απλών γεγονότων για γνωστούς και για αγνώστους ανθρώπους που η ζωή τους είχε σχέση με το Μεγάλο Παλάτι της Λήδρας. Το Λήδρα Παλλάς στην Λευκωσία μέχρι το 1974 ήταν το μεγαλύτερο αλλά και το πιο γοητευτικό ξενοδοχείο της Κύπρου. Ιδρύθηκε το 1949 και από το 2004 είναι σημείο διέλευσης της Πράσινης γραμμής!

-Brandy Sour: Το «εθνικό» κοκτέιλ της Κύπρου (κονιάκ, λεμονάδα και σταγόνες αγκοστούρα.)
Στο εξώφυλλο του βιβλίου Brandy Sour βλέπουμε τουρίστες στην πισίνα του ξενοδοχείου να διασκεδάζουν και να περνάνε αμέριμνα. Μία τουρίστρια κοιτάει τον φακό της φωτογραφικής μηχανής και διασκεδάζει (δεκαετία του 1960). Ο αναγνώστης, όπως εγώ αν το πάρει αμέριμνος στα χέρια του να το διαβάσει δεν μπορεί να φανταστεί πως η συγγραφέας ευθυγραμμίζει σημαντικά ιστορικά γεγονότα της Χώρας μέσα από ιστορίες που αφορούν το ξενοδοχείο πριν και μετά το 1974. Ανέγερση – Ακμή – Παρακμή μέσα από ιστορίες που στο τέλος θέλεις Να πιεις κάτι δροσιστικό. Η κ. Σωτηρίου χρησιμοποιώντας ως βάση στις ιστορίες της τα ποτά και τα αφεψήματα γράφει ένα βιβλίο στοχευόμενο χωρίς να είναι επιτηδευμένο. Μέσα από ιστορίες με Brandy, Τσάι λεβάντας, Ζιβανία, Αιράβι, Καφέ ελληνικό, Τούρκικο ή Κυπριακό, Νερό, Ροδόσταγμα, Λεμονάδα και δάκρυα περιγράφει ολόκληρες δεκαετίες μέσα σε 137 σελίδες ξεκινώντας από τα χρόνια του Μεσοπολέμου.

-Το 1946 σε μία επίσκεψη του Φαρούκ στις Πλάτρες, όπου συναντήθηκε με αντιπροσωπεία επιφανών Κυπρίων και ξένων αξιωματούχων, «γεννήθηκε» το Brandy Sour!!! Ο μπάρμαν του ξενοδοχείου έφτιαξε διακριτικά ένα κοκτέιλ που εμφανισιακά θα έδινε την εντύπωση πως πρόκειται για κρύο τσάι, αλλά ουσιαστικά θα ήταν αλκοολούχο για να ευχαριστήσει τον Φαρούκ.
Παρατήρησα και μου έκανε εντύπωση, ότι η συγγραφέας χρησιμοποιεί μέσα από μια μεστή και απλή αφηγηματική γραφή την τεχνική επανάληψης στοιχείων. Προβάλει με έμφαση επαναλαμβανόμενες απλές έννοιες, δίνοντας έμφαση και χρωματισμό σε λέξεις που υποσυνείδητα θα επηρεάσουν τον αναγνώστη. Συνήθως λέξεις ή φράσεις επαναλαμβάνονται αμέσως μέσα στα παραμύθια για αυτό τις ιστορίες αυτές τις θυμάσαι μια ζωή… έτσι και στο βιβλίο ο τρόπος που αντιμετωπίζει την ιστορία της Κύπρου, τον πόνο των κατοίκων, την θλίψη τους, τον αναστεναγμό τους, τις ελπίδες τους, την ακμή και την παρακμή ενός ξενοδοχείου που χτυπά στην καρδιά της Κύπρου είναι πρωτότυπος. Η δίψα που αφήνει στο στόμα και στις ψυχές η Ιστορία όπως λέει στο τέλος το οπισθόφυλλο και συμφωνώ απόλυτα είναι ότι πιο οδυνηρό και λυτρωτικό υπάρχει. Άρα, αυτή η πικρία που μένει στα χείλη όσα ποτά και να πιείς είναι αυτό που θα κρατήσω στην καρδιά μου και θα ψάξω και για τα υπόλοιπα βιβλία της συγγραφέως. Είμαι σίγουρη ότι η φωνή της μέσα από την γραφή της θα είναι σημαδιακή!
Αν ξανά επισκεφτώ το νησί της Αφροδίτης θα ήθελα να δω αυτό το ξενοδοχείο και να γνωρίσω την κυρία Σωτηρίου. Θα ήθελα να συνομιλήσω μαζί της για όλες τις γνωστές και άγνωστες πτυχές της ιστορίας και πως μέσα από το υγρό στοιχείο των ποτών εμπνεύστηκε το μυθιστόρημα. Όπως προανέφερα έγραψε πάρα πολύ απλά ιστορίες που θα μπορούσες να ακούσεις στα παλαιότερα χρόνια στις αυλές των σπιτιών από τους νοικοκυραίους και τις γειτόνισσες ( έτσι ένιωσα προσωπικά εγώ) και το συνδύασε αριστοτεχνικά με ολόκληρη την ιστορία!!!

Αγαπημένα διηγήματα είναι: Το ροδόσταγμα ( σε δροσίζει, σε τονώνει και σου γλυκαίνει το μέσα σου) και το Έψημα ( μόνο αυτό μπορεί να γιατρέψει τις άφθες σου, τις μικρές τρύπες στο στόμα σου, τους τοίχους σου, που είναι τρυπημένοι από σφαίρες)
Brandy Sour
Υλικά
Σε ψηλό ποτήρι.
1 μεζούρα κονιάκ
2-3 σταγόνες αγκοστούρα
Λεμονάδα
Σόδα
1 κεράσι γλασέ περασμένο σε οδοντογλυφίδα
Πασπαλίζουμε τα χείλη του ποτηριού με ζάχαρη.
Διακοσμούμαι με μία φέτα λεμόνι, το κεράσι και το προσφέρουμε…

[Book2chance · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5
Η βραβευμένη Κύπρια συγγραφέας μας προσφέρει μία σειρά διηγημάτων με κεντρικό θέμα το εμβληματικό ξενοδοχείο Λήδρα Παλλάς που δεν λειτουργεί πλέον καθώς βρίσκεται δίπλα στην γραμμή που χωρίζει τον τουρκικό από τον ελληνικό τομέα της Λευκωσίας.

Η ιστορία του ξενοδοχείου από την ίδρυσή μέχρι και την παύση της λειτουργίας του μέσα από 22 ιστορίες ανθρώπων που συνδυάζονται πανέξυπνα με προϊόντα της Κύπρου όπως η Κουμανταρία ,ο ζαμπούκος,το ροδοστομα καθώς και διάφορα ποτά, μπύρες,σουμαδες, κονιάκ μέχρι το εγκληματικό κοκτέιλ brandy Sour που δημιουργήθηκε για τον βασιλιά Φαρούκ της Αιγύπτου.

Πυκνό σε νοήματα, που χρησιμοποιώντας τις επαναλήψεις μετουσιώνεται σχεδόν σε ποιητικό κείμενο.
Με έναν μαγικό τρόπο που δεν μπορείς να καταλάβεις η συγγραφέας σε κάνει κοινωνό στη ζωή που περιγράφει με αποτέλεσμα στο τέλος ακόμα και ο μη Κύπριος αναγνώστης να νιώσει σαν να ήταν εκεί όταν διαδραματίζονταν τα γεγονότα και να αισθάνεται το ξενοδοχείο δικό του κομμάτι.

Συνιστώ να διαβαστεί αργά το απογευματάκι συνοδευόμενο από ένα φλυτζάνι μυρωδάτο τσάι ή ένα ποτήρι λικέρ. Θα σας χαρίσει δυο-τρεις πολύ ευχάριστες ώρες.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

The completion of the Ledra Palace Hotel was the moment that Cyprus felt that it had joined the modern world. But this was early in the 1050s and the peaceful island life they had enjoyed up until now was about to change forever.

It begins with a King. A mere King of the once magnificent country, Egypt. He has booked an entire floor at the hotel so he can contemplate his troubles in relative peace. He heads down to the bar and asks the barman to make him a drink that doesn’t look alcoholic. The barman makes him a brandy sour. It is a sweet and sour drink that fits his mood perfectly.

There is a sherbet for a young lady, a photographer chooses a beer, Jasmin tea for a poet and the maitre’d of the hotel chooses a coffee. The guerrilla fighter selects a VSOP brandy and this is the first hint in the book that this is also an account of the conflict played out on this Mediterranean island that would split it in two and cause untold suffering and misery for the population.

This is a subtle book that reveals the horrors of strife and conflict. Each chapter has a person at its heart and they select a drink that is suited to their particular circumstances.

I liked the way that the book dealt with this. What starts of as an idyllic place slowly descends into strife, the desires of the characters and the drinks that they choose change. The life they once had has gone and their despondency as life crashes down around them is evident from the prose. It shows how quickly that the life that you know can unravel with conflict. Well worth reading. 3.5 stars

[TaraReadsBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book while in Cyprus to learn more about the island, and what an incredible book to learn from! I thoroughly loved the sense of place in this book, how it all centres around the same hotel with a variety of well-developed characters (and local beverages). The weaving of the history of the island, particularly the 1974 invasion, is done so seamlessly and beautifully and really takes into account every side of the war. The prose is so rich and poetic, a credit to the writer, Constantia Soteriou, but also the translator of the English edition I read, Lina Protopapa. One of the best books I’ve read this year by far, and a fantastic writing of the island!

[Emma Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn’t tell you if this is a good book or not but in a subtle way I really enjoyed it without realising.

[anjali · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved actually !!

[Simon J Alvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really interesting way of telling stories about the complex and violent history of Cyprus's told through a single hotel in Nicosia, its people and their drinks of choice and how they reflect the changing fortunes of the place. These are little vignettes, that only give you a hint of the broader context, but in a fascinating way

[Ryann Stutz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredible portrait of intersecting lives amidst war and occupation in Cyprus - which I didn’t know previously and this was an achingly beautiful way to learn!

It was just a bit repetitive but I’ll chalk it up to it being a translation ? Sometimes it hit and sometimes it didn’t

[Macushla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t enjoy this as much as I had expected to. Absolutely love the premise - series of short stories taking place in and around the same hotel, each centred on a particular character and a drink - but found quite a few of the chapters quite boring. There were a couple I loved that felt like exactly what I was hoping for/expected as a snapshot of a person/episode that leaves you with a distinct feeling but more questions. However lots of the others felt underdeveloped or superficial. I felt that more complexity of themes could be drawn out around the historical/political context, it would have been interesting to get a sense of people’s positioning with a layer of nuance. after a while it felt a bit repetitive and stories stopped adding something new. Definitely made me more interested in Cypriot history.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of tiny portraits of various people connected to Cyprus’ glamorous Ledra Palace Hotel.

Presenting Cyprus’ history through a series of micro portraits of characters each paired with a drink is such an interesting format, and I really enjoyed the novelty of it, even if ultimately I’d have liked each portrait to be a bit more expansive.

Cypriot history happens around each of these people, but it’s passing references and in truth, I wanted a bit more - the second half was more satisfying in that respect. That said, beyond the island’s division, I am not familiar enough with the details of Cypriot history to pick up on all the fleeting references that I assume were there, so that slight disappointment is probably a reflection on me more than anything.

My favourite portrait was probably that of the Mayor - it might deal with the mundane, but actually it was fascinating (sewage is far from sexy, but boy is it important) and came with more background and information. The Photographer was interesting too, with the feeling of remove that comes from witnessing wars happening to other people.

The past 70-odd years of Cypriot history touched on through a series of brief character portraits - a refreshingly novel, if not very in-depth, format.

[Annalise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally unique. The author tells the story of a country ascending from its colonial past, only to be torn apart by a brutal territorial dispute. 20th century Cypriot history is revealed in snatches through a collection of perspectives, mainly of the guests and workers of the Ledra Palace Hotel. Each perspective comes with a satirical drink recipe - elderflower water for the crying bride-to-be whose fiancé has been drafted, or brandy sours for the wealthy foreigners who frequent the hotel bar.

[Mika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about longing for the past - every vignette opens with a recipe for a drink/cocktail associated with a time and place in the narrator's memory. Very moving how each of these vignettes are constructed around a drink, showing how our sense of taste and smell transports us back to times and places we can no longer go back to.

[Cait · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply moving in a way I didn’t truly understand until the very end. Goes into so much detail without saying much and evokes a deep passion for what once was before chaos ensued. I didn’t know learning what people like to drink could have such a powerful sentiment and be so relevant to the state of a country.

[Ali-pie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the unique structure- a series of linked short stories where each chapter focuses on a different character and a different drink! I've never been to Cyprus but now I almost feel like I have. Highly recommend this book!

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a thought provoking story/history of cyprus told in one of the most fun ways i’ve ever read

she also manages to accomplish the nice feeling of repetition that jon fosse failed at by being too overwhelming

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was beautiful!! Perfect for Greece :)

[Domi · Rating 5 out of 5]

had an out of body experience reading this in kefalonia

[Katia · Rating 4 out of 5]

People - watching in book form.

I am very impressed with how Soteriou crafted this book. It is not one chronological novel but a collection of short stories which each centre on a different character and their drink of choice. I say,'drink,' loosely - one was the tears of a Griffin, and another piss - but the thematic link is there, believe me. There is also a second link - that being the Ledra Palace Hotel, located in Nicosia. A hotel that, until 1974, was known as one of Cyrpus's most luxurious hotels, and following the events in July 1974, became the 'headquarters' for one of the sections in the UN. Each character is linked to the Hotel in some way - and so we follow the lives of many different people, including, but not limited to, a cleaning lady, an Egyptian King, and a guerrilla fighter.

It's slow paced in the sense that reading this feels as if you're on a river drifting by different people and hearing snippets of their conversations. But it's suspenseful in the sense that each person tells the story of their lives before and after the invasion in a matter of pages. In a matter of pages, a mother is lost, a home is stolen, a house will crumble, and a divide will ensue.

The Hotel, that first resembled 'lavender flowers' from a distance at night, becomes a house whose pores bleed. Soteriou writes her love into this book, and you can feel it in each character. So much information is packed in so few pages, and she's done it in such a way that it goes down without burning so much.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of tiny portraits of various people connected to Cyprus’ glamorous Ledra Palace Hotel.

Presenting Cyprus’ history through a series of micro portraits of characters each paired with a drink is such an interesting format, and I really enjoyed the novelty of it, even if ultimately I’d have liked each portrait to be a bit more expansive.

Cypriot history happens around each of these people, but it’s passing references and in truth, I wanted a bit more - the second half was more satisfying in that respect. That said, beyond the island’s division, I am not familiar enough with the details of Cypriot history to pick up on all the fleeting references that I assume were there, so that slight disappointment is probably a reflection on me more than anything.

My favourite portrait was probably that of the Mayor - it might deal with the mundane, but actually it was fascinating (sewage is far from sexy, but boy is it important) and came with more background and information. The Photographer was interesting too, with the feeling of remove that comes from witnessing wars happening to other people.

The past 70-odd years of Cypriot history touched on through a series of brief character portraits - a refreshingly novel, if not very in-depth, format.

[Anwen Hayward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I really enjoyed this one. It's structured as a series of interconnected short stories telling the 20th century history of Nicosia, and of Cyprus in larger terms, through a selection of people who pass through the rooms of its grandest hotel, which turns out to be the site of a major battle between Greek and Turkish forces. I devoured this in one sitting. I loved the lyrical writing, and the way that the stories accrete and layer the history of Cyprus further with each chapter, culminating in a genuinely moving and bittersweet depiction of an island at the centre of a power struggle.

This is Foundry Edition's first offering, and absolutely makes me want to check out the rest of their output - they're a publisher focusing on translated works from the Mediterranean world and the surrounding area, with their other books coming from Italy, Spain and Sudan. I shall certainly be popping to the library to request the others.