Book cover of Bitter Lemons of Cyprus

Book description

Lose yourself in this classic prize-winning memoir of life in 1950s Cyprus on the brink of revolution by the legendary king of travel writing and real-life family member of The Durrells in Corfu.

'Stunning.' Andre Aciman

'Masterly ... Casts a spell.' Jan Morris

'Invades the reader's every sense ... Remarkable.'…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Bitter Lemons of Cyprus as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

To me, married to a Greek Cypriot, Cyprus is always part of Greece, too, and so I include it twice in this list. I love the literary genius of Lawrence Durrell. Bitter Lemons of Cyprus is set in 1950s Cyprus when the Cypriots were struggling for independence from British colonialism. I have been to Cyprus many times, staying with family in an apartment in town or renting a house in the mountains for months at a time.

Durrell brings the past of this beautiful but troubled island to life for me in a new way. Though I see a completely…

From May's list on the most glorious bits of Greece.

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