Modern Greek Writing: An Anthology in English Translation (review)

An anthology of translated works faces the double challenge of doing equal justice to the source language and the language of translation. Equality is not a matter of presenting passages in both; it means presenting a sustainable version of the work in the target language without overlooking the parameters of reading the source: the historical horizon of its production and consumption-the latter would include the work's weight in a network of contextual and intertextual relations. This requires a number of well-balanced editorial decisions that are not visible to readers, yet reveal a refined knowledge of sources and their status in a history of literature.

A fine example of such a balance is David Ricks's Modern Greek Writing: An Anthology in English Translation. The volume, spanning the period 1821 to 1998 (the year that marks the end of the selection process), contains works by 50 authors, both poets and prose writers. This is the first of three anthologies published in English in recent years, the others being An Anthology of Modern Greek Poetry, edited by Nanos Valaoritis and Thanasis Maskaleris (Talisman House 2003) and A Century of Greek Poetry 1900-2000, edited by Peter Bien et al. (Cosmos 2004), both published in the United States. The span of almost 180 years, and the inclusion of diverse genres such as memoirs, short stories, and novels, make it the broadest anthology in historical depth and range to the present day. It begins with the folk ballad «Του νεκρού αδελφού» ("The Night Journey"), a somehow unusual inclusion in an anthology of written works. However, Ricks's decision adds a diacritic nuance to the presumed orality of folk poetry: its relevance and contemporaneity to modern readers, who can only approach the work in its written form; i.e., as a text. According to Ricks, "The Night Journey" might be the first text to appear in English translation in 1825 and one that would most likely agree with British Romantic taste. The fact that the volume ends with the contemporary poet Michalis Ganas (born in 1944), in whose work the folk song is distinctively echoed, draws a complete circle of influence.

Ricks's book is as much an anthology of authors as it is of works. The former appear in chronological order, without being grouped as poets and prose fiction writers (on a few rare occasions they are represented by both genres; e.g., Aris Alexandrou whose poetry is as distinctive as his landmark novel, Το Κιβώτιο [The Strongbox]). As much as lack of genre distinction might raise a purist's eyebrow, it classifies these works as general samples of written discourse and discreetly points to their continuity; the reader should be able to see evolution. However, it is not the editor's intention to make obvious links or draw historical conclusions regarding the development of genres, as one would expect from a history of modern Greek literature. As stated in the introduction, "the aim of the present anthology is simply to whet the reader's appetite for more: though it is based on twenty years' reading in the field, it is not in its nature a work of scholarship" (p. 15). Ricks is aiming for a wide audience with this anthology and manages superbly to balance a comprehensive range and effective selection to produce a work which is approachable, marketable, and easy to handle, in stark contrast to other bulky volumes.

Anthologies are heavily based on the notion of canon: what is included depends on the editor's perception of what has been influential, what has acquired canonical status, and on his/her tactile prediction on what will continue to be read in future years. And yet, in an anthology of translations, one observes the transformation of the canon, as the selection of original works is further filtered through their availability in translation. On many occasions, chance appears to be a decisive factor. Being aware of this, Ricks straightforwardly admits that worthy authors and works had to be excluded due to lack...