Je suis née grecque

by Melina Mercouri

From the star of NEVER ON SUNDAY--her tempestuous life and loves...."Passionate, uninhibited, remarkable!" St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Genres: Biography

318 pages, Paperback

First published October 18, 1971

About the author

Maria Amalia "Melina" Mercouri (Greek: Μαρία Αμαλία "Μελίνα" Μερκούρη) was a Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician. She came from a prominent political family for multiple generations. She received an Academy Award nomination and won a French Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award for her performance in the film Never on Sunday (1960) and an Italian David di Donatello for Topkapi. Mercouri was also nominated for one Tony Award, three Golden Globes, and two BAFTA Awards in her acting career. In 1987 she was awarded a special prize in the first edition of the Europe Theatre Prize.

Mercouri was a member of the Hellenic Parliament, elected as a representative of PASOK. In October 1981, she became the first female Minister of Culture and Sports. She has the longest tenure of any of Greece's Ministers of Culture, having served from 1981 to 1989, and then from 1993 until her death in 1994, during PASOK governments. Mercouri's political activism included her long campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles. One of her greatest achievements was the establishment of the European Capitals of Culture, with Athens chosen as the first capital in 1985.

Reviews

[Margarita Ri · Rating 5 out of 5]

That is an amazing autobiography.
Bold and so contemporary... it's written in 1971; yet, again numerous facts and political discussions describe so surprisingly 2013.
A must read.

[Helena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nakon čitanja knjige Rođena kao grkinja, rekla bih da je Melina Merkuri za mene Grčka ili barem Grčka u kakvu želim da verujem, kakvu želim da je volim i osćam. Knjiga je probudila sve ono grčko što u meni tinja i ja sam joj na tome zahvalna. Odlično tumačenje filma i pozorišta, vedar, slobodan duh pisanja i ponos na svoju zemlju. Čitanje ovog dela je lični dobitak za sva dalja istraživanja filma, pozorišta i svih velikih pomenutih imena i muzičkih dela.

[Jordan Phizacklea-Cullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written whilst she was exiled from Greece by the 1967-74 junta, this vibrant memoir by "the last Greek goddess" is passionate, moving and, despite circumstances, full of love and hope for her home country and for the generations to come.

[Zo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really amazing insight into Melina and her life, it was very much a book of her time though and should be read with that in mind. Her life was so interesting and there is sadly little information in literature found, so this book was a boon.

[giaxou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really captures Melina’s greatness . Reading it, made me get a better look in her life and in her work. Some parts were raw and bold. I would definitely recommend reading it!