New Books available from the Book Centre

• Promised Brides by Panayota Nazou  $50  (available in English in Greek). The book The book constitutes the most systematic and coherent research in the phenomenon of promised brides as practiced during the first generation of Greek migration to Australia between 1950 and 1975. The study attempts its interpretation from the perspective of oral history, gender studies and cultural-critical theory. Its primary material is drawn from personal testimonies given in the form of interviews to the writer by a number of the brides themselves. 

• The Politics of Forgetting: NZ, Greece and Britain at War by Martyn Brown  $40. Greece was a poor country in turmoil and pain during the 1940s. A military dictatorship was followed by invasion and terrifying occupation by Germany and its allies, starvation, civil war, political unrest and mutiny in its free military armed forces. New Zealand entered this arena and found a bond with a people that it still celebrates to this day. Absent from the New Zealand national storytelling is the complex, divisive and sometimes violent and surreal relationship between the two countries and the inescapable influence of Britain. The New Zealand-Greek story stretches from the mountains and open country of Greece and Crete to Middle East deserts, autumn-swept plains of Italy, and the blood-splattered streets of post-liberated Athens. New Zealand official state memory emphasizes some things and ignores the unpalatable. It also conceals its assertiveness with Britain over the latter’s Greek policies.

• The Carpet Weaver from Usak by Kathryn Gauci $30.  From the author of The Embroiderer comes a haunting story of a deep friendship between two women, one Greek, one Turk. A friendship that transcends an era of mistrust, and fear, long after the wars have ended. Aspasia and Saniye are friends from childhood. They share their secrets and joy, helping each other in times of trouble. When WWI breaks, the news travels to the village, but the locals have no idea how it will affect their lives. A story of love, friendship, and loss; a tragedy that affects the lives of many on both sides of the Aegean, and their struggle to survive under new circumstances, as casualties of a war beyond their control.

Books are available at the above special prices plus postage and handling, or they can be picked up from level 3.

More info & Orders: (03) 9662 2722 or by email info@greekcommunity.com.au