Today we talk about a Dinner at the house of Odysseus, a book by Stratos E. Constantinidis published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author Stratos E. Constantinidis to get to know him better, where he found the inspiration to write his book Dinner at the house of Odysseus, as well his profound interest in the Greek classics.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- Who inspired you to write Dinner at the House of Odysseus, and why?
I was inspired by the people who became victims of hate. Those ill-fated people ended up as crime statistics, or as war casualties, or as refugees. My parents, who settled in Greece, were refugees from Asia Minor. It was my mother and her sister who introduced me to Homer’s Odyssey when I was a preschooler in Greece. I also studied Homer’s epics with inspiring teachers like Nikos Papahatzis and Nikos Hourmouziadis when I was a high school student and later a university student in Greece. Thanks to my teachers, I realized that the story that my mother and her sister had told me several years earlier, was about the myths and the realities which continue to entrap people into the manmade conditions of poverty and slavery.
- What would you like to hear from your readers?
People will read Dinner at the House of Odysseus for different reasons, but I hope that I will hear two things from most of them: a) they found Dinner at the House of Odysseus both enjoyable and enlightening, and b) they want to read more, so they are looking forward to the publication of the next episode, Dinner at the House of Nestor. So far, the readers who have read the manuscript of Dinner at the House of Odysseus have informed me that it tells a timeless story through a suspenseful plot which involves strong characters who face distressing complications in life. Those characters engage in dramatic conflicts which lead to several dangerous crises and a dynamic climax. Some of the readers also let me know that the dialogue was clever, and the themes had an appealing, powerful impact on them.
- Why are you so interested in the Greek classics?
I am interested in the classics of any language and of any period – not just the classics of Greek antiquity. A classic work manifests what people consider fallible or infallible in their society, and it does so in memorable ways when it dwells on how sound or unsound the popular values of the dominant culture are. My interest in the Greek classics also includes the classics of the medieval and the modern periods. Most of them are not yet available in translation. The ancient Greek classics were read in translation by many generations of European readers before, during, and after the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. They were intrigued by what they read because of the way the ancient Greeks described the world and their experiences in it. The Greek perspective challenged them to rethink how they felt about their own world and their own experiences in it. In that sense, the Greek classics continue to be relevant and proximal to this day. Of course, the Homeric epics and the Greek language predate the classical Greek period.
- How do you combine Writing with the multiple activities you are committed to such as Theatre, Film and Media Arts?
I live and work in the United States. I write on weekends (104 days per year), on federal holidays (11 days per year), and during faculty school breaks (67 days per year). That amounts to 182 days a year. For the remaining 183 days of the year, I work from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM to carry out my multiple job-related activities and responsibilities. My creative writing and scholarly writing coexist, but I do not put the one before the other. The rotation of these paired activities is a balancing act that has kept me informed and alive over the years. Of course, there is always some mutual influence between the different undertakings that dovetail with each other; but I am not aware of any policy that mandates that I must combine these diverse activities. U.S. universities give separate academic degrees in scholarly writing and in creative writing. As I recall, Umberto Eco considered himself to be primarily a scholar and secondarily a novelist, based on his output. However, the criterion of output is not the only applicable criterion. Priorities, preferences, and attitudes about creative writing, scholarly writing, and academic writing are usually set and shaped by what most individuals and groups believe to be valuable and viable in their profession.
- Are you working on a new writing project you can tell us about?
My new writing project is Dinner at the House of Nestor. In this episode, Telemachus sails from Ithaca to Pylos where he meets Nestor and Euridice, as well their sons and two daughters. He dines with Nestor and spends a memorable night in Pylos. Nestor, who was Odysseus’ comrade-in-arms during the Second Trojan War, is more than intrigued by Telemachus’ quest to find his father. Telemachus finds out that Nestor, the son of Neleus, was only 4 years old when he saw Heracles raid Pylos and kill Neleus. Heracles enslaved Nestor and took him away from his home. While Nestor was in the service of Heracles, he developed a strong body and a sharp mind. He seized every opportunity to educate himself about the arts of war and government. When Nestor was 18 years old, he and Laertes (Odysseus’ father) joined the argonauts along with Heracles and they got involved in the First Trojan War.
Europe Books thanks the author Stratos E. Constantinidis once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside him on the editorial path that led to the publication of his book Dinner at the house of Odysseus. We wish him the best of luck for his book and for his future works.
To you, my readers, may this book strongly capture your interest and curiosity, thanks to the engaging story which involves strong characters who face complications in life and dramatic conflicts. May it leave you glued to its pages so much that you never want to close it!
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your editor!