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L'unico viaggio della sua vita e altre storie
Tre racconti brevi, pubblicati fra il 1883 ed il 1884, caratterizzati dall'approfondimento psicologico dei personaggi e dal fascino orientale; essi sono in realtà piccoli drammi soffusi di mistero e attraversati dalle torbide contraddizioni in cui si dibatte la mente umana. Particolarmente attuale è il messaggio di solidarietà trasmesso da questi racconti nei quali lo scrittore ritrae con vivacità e sentimento l'ambiente del suo paese natale (la Tracia di fine '800 dominata dall'Impero ottomano ormai in decadenza) e dove l'elemento greco convive con il turco in un inusuale rapporto di profonda umanità.
158 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
3 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Georgios Vizyinos
30 books45 followersGeorgios Vizyinos (Greek: Γεώργιος Βιζυηνός) was a Greek prose writer and poet, one of the most significant figures of Greek literature. He was born Georgios Syrmas in Vizyi, Eastern Thrace, on March 8, 1849. He was sent at a young age by his parents to Constantinople to become a clothesmaker but instead chose to study first religion and later literature.
In 1873, he published his first collection of poems "Ποιητικά πρωτόλεια". The following year, Vizyinos published his epic poem "Codrus". His third collection was originally entitled "Ares-Mares-Koukounares" but later re-titled "Breezes of the Bosphorus". All three works received awards for poetry.
In 1883, Vizyinos started writing in prose. In a span of merely fifteen months (1883 - 1884) he wrote and published five short novels in the magazine Hestia, thus opening the way for a new literary form and at the same time demonstrating unique thematic, narrative and structural inventiveness. The short stories "Who was my Brother’s Murderer?", "The only Voyage of his Life", "The Consequences of an Old Story" and "Moskov-Selim" deal with the controversial subject of relations and the terms of coexistence among Greeks, Slavs and Turks in the Balkans, as well as the dialogue between the Greeks of Greece and the Greeks of the Ottoman Empire and the Diaspora, and also between Europe and modern and ancient Hellenism. The symbolic function of language and the self-referring function of literature are reflected mainly in the short stories "Between Piraeus and Naples" and "The only Voyage of his Life".
Vizyinos was forced to work as a high school teacher following the death of his chief mentor, Georgios Zarifis in 1884.
In 1892, he was stricken with mental illness and was admitted to Dromokaitios asylum, near Athens. He died there four years later on April 15, 1896.
In 1873, he published his first collection of poems "Ποιητικά πρωτόλεια". The following year, Vizyinos published his epic poem "Codrus". His third collection was originally entitled "Ares-Mares-Koukounares" but later re-titled "Breezes of the Bosphorus". All three works received awards for poetry.
In 1883, Vizyinos started writing in prose. In a span of merely fifteen months (1883 - 1884) he wrote and published five short novels in the magazine Hestia, thus opening the way for a new literary form and at the same time demonstrating unique thematic, narrative and structural inventiveness. The short stories "Who was my Brother’s Murderer?", "The only Voyage of his Life", "The Consequences of an Old Story" and "Moskov-Selim" deal with the controversial subject of relations and the terms of coexistence among Greeks, Slavs and Turks in the Balkans, as well as the dialogue between the Greeks of Greece and the Greeks of the Ottoman Empire and the Diaspora, and also between Europe and modern and ancient Hellenism. The symbolic function of language and the self-referring function of literature are reflected mainly in the short stories "Between Piraeus and Naples" and "The only Voyage of his Life".
Vizyinos was forced to work as a high school teacher following the death of his chief mentor, Georgios Zarifis in 1884.
In 1892, he was stricken with mental illness and was admitted to Dromokaitios asylum, near Athens. He died there four years later on April 15, 1896.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 2, 2019
very, very heavy. so much unhappiness... the writing is fantastic though, and Vizynios shows so much compassion and humanity. these stories are very powerful, they can haunt you. I was about to put it back in my library after the second story, its weight was so heavy in my heart. but then I was curious to read the third one as well. and that says something, right? Vizynios had a very short, strange, unhappy life and of course his writing couldn't have been 'the diary of bridget jones'-like. he is a fantastic storyteller, and his narrator's perspective (always the same child, Yorgis) is so endearing. this book is not an easy read, not something to grab when you're at the beach enjoying yourself. it's more for those quiet moments of solitude when you want to think about deeper things.
July 3, 2019
devoured in a weekend. deeply effecting and really meaningful stories that are beautifully written and translated.
June 4, 2021
Vizyinos was a master of the short story and these three pair well together and are well-translated.
June 10, 2023
A simple set of tales beautifully told, and beneath them the clear articulation of the unexpected twists and turns of human life, the shift from the naivete and flights of fantasy of a youth far from home to the reality of the prejudices of adulthood, and the grim realities of murder on the lives and loves of a family. The boy, Yorgis, and his grandfather (right to the end) had the right idea - live life with all its harsh realities but live it as a fairytale.
It's always hard to know what effect a translation has on a story but in this case, it seems to me, that Peter Mackridge has done a truly beautiful job of taking the mixed and strange forms of Greek into modern English with a great deal of sensitivity to the stories told.
It's always hard to know what effect a translation has on a story but in this case, it seems to me, that Peter Mackridge has done a truly beautiful job of taking the mixed and strange forms of Greek into modern English with a great deal of sensitivity to the stories told.
March 21, 2022
Three longish short stories - set in mid 1800s Thrace ( NE Greece on Bulgarian Turkish border) & Istanbul. One was 3 star, one 4 & one 5 star. Well written & nice translations in a lovely edition from Aiora books who are translating Greek classics for wider audiences.
October 24, 2019
bu kitap okumak isterim
March 1, 2023
Parts of it were very beautiful, but for the most part I am feeling neutral about this..
July 13, 2025
Il peccato di mia madre ☆☆☆
Chi è stato l'assassino di mio fratello? ☆☆☆☆☆
L'unico viaggio della sua vita ☆☆☆☆
Viziinos scava con precisione psicologica nei suoi personaggi, mettendo a nudo le tensioni, le ossessioni e le contraddizioni che abitano la mente umana.
Le tre vicende si dipanano nella Tracia di fine Ottocento, crocevia culturale e umano, sospesa tra la Grecia e l’Impero ottomano in declino. Un mondo in cui l’elemento greco e quello turco non si scontrano, ma convivono, si osservano, si contaminano, spesso con sorprendente umanità.
C’è un che di fiabesco, a tratti inquietante, in queste storie: sono drammi silenziosi, pervasi da un fascino orientale e da un senso di mistero sottile, dove ogni gesto o dettaglio può diventare rivelazione.
Chi è stato l'assassino di mio fratello? ☆☆☆☆☆
L'unico viaggio della sua vita ☆☆☆☆
Viziinos scava con precisione psicologica nei suoi personaggi, mettendo a nudo le tensioni, le ossessioni e le contraddizioni che abitano la mente umana.
Le tre vicende si dipanano nella Tracia di fine Ottocento, crocevia culturale e umano, sospesa tra la Grecia e l’Impero ottomano in declino. Un mondo in cui l’elemento greco e quello turco non si scontrano, ma convivono, si osservano, si contaminano, spesso con sorprendente umanità.
C’è un che di fiabesco, a tratti inquietante, in queste storie: sono drammi silenziosi, pervasi da un fascino orientale e da un senso di mistero sottile, dove ogni gesto o dettaglio può diventare rivelazione.
July 13, 2025
Fascinating - I picked up this book in Thessaloniki at a local book store to give me a glimpse into the Greek writing style. This is a collection of semi-autobiagraphical stories of a man who lived at the crossroads between Greece and the Ottoman Empire. The stories were beautiful written and enticing though ultimately quite sad and disquieting in nature. I would still recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Mediterranean history and literature. There is so much rich culture in this part of the world.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews