Product Description

The scent of raisins and other nostalgic stories is a window to the past, with a view of the treehouse on the plane tree, the roasted chickpeas battles while watching movies, Tarzan as a courageous idol, the teacher’s cane, festive dinners, early-morning caroling, laying out the “chylopita” pasta, the truck trailer filled with students on a school trip, leaflets dropping from the sky, street games, baskets filled with raisins, makeshift huts on the sand, and mussels from the seabed.

In this collection of short stories, the author Margarita Koliopoulou recalls memories from her childhood and adolescence, during the ’40s and ’50s, and  narrates with innocence, sensitivity and humor the warmth of life in rural Greece, the joys, traditions, relationships, and the resilience of people.

The comfort that emanates from the emotional experience of nostalgia is enhanced by the tender and expressive illustrations of Karolina Koliopoulou, the author’s daughter.

This testimony, being one more tile in the mosaic of common human experience,  is addressed to readers of any age and origin who wish to travel through time, discovering or reminiscing.

Author:

MARGARITA KOLIOPOULOU, née Stathopoulou, was born in 1939 in Pyrgos, Ilia, where she lived as a child, adolescent and youth, with her parents and three siblings, in the neoclassical house at 17 Germanou Street. The Scent of Raisins and Other Nostalgic Stories is her first attempt to recount in writing her memories from that time, hoping that she will continue to do so in the future.

Illustrated by Karolina Koliopoulou

KAROLINA KOLIOPOULOU was born in 1967. She was raised in Athens, the city where she still lives. She is a doctor, obstetrician-gynecologist. She has been taking painting classes since 2018, at art.edu, the visual arts workshop of Elisabeth Dionysiou. She has presented a solo painting exhibition entitled “Salinity Bond” in 2022, at Artzone42 Gallery. The Scent of Raisins and Other Nostalgic Stories is her first attempt at book illustration.