Book description
In 1951 the Australian writers Charmian Clift and George Johnston left grey, post-war London for Greece. Settling first on the tiny island of Kalymnos, then Hydra, their plan was to live simply and focus on their writing, away from the noise of the big city. The result is two of…
Why read it?
1 author picked Mermaid Singing as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Clift creates a sympathetic and highly informative picture of the islanders of Kalymnos in Greece’s Dodecanese.
She lived here with her family in the 1950s, when the island’s males made their dangerous living from diving for sponges. Clift brilliantly captures the suspended animation of the families left behind by the diving fleet, loved ones who could only hope that fathers and sons would return alive and intact.
I’m familiar with today’s Kalymnos, its port choc-a-bloc with tourist boats. It’s salutary to be reminded of the hardships of traditional island life and how modern tourism can be a benefit, not a…
From Tony's list on travel in Greece, ancient and modern.
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