The Cyprus Tragedy in Historical Fiction

A review of historical novels exploring the tragedy of Cyprus, from the turbulent decade of 1974 to contemporary publications. These books, using fiction, capture the pain and consequences of the war.

Early works such as Rina Katselli's 'Refugee in My Land' and Lina Solomonidou's 'Experiences-Cyprus 1974' offer a direct testimony of the events.

Vasilis Gouroyannis's 'Red on the Green Line' highlights the civil strife and betrayal, while honoring the contribution of ELDYK.

Giorgos Charitonidis, a former prisoner, describes the harsh experiences of the prisons in 'Memories with Many Seeds' and the areas of Kyrenia in 'With a Passport and Visa for One Day'.

Konstantia Sotiriou in 'Ayşe Goes on Vacation' gives a female perspective of the tragedy, while in 'Voices from the Soil' she outlines the intercommunal relations.

Kostas Lympouris in 'Truck Passengers' presents the tragic consequences of the war and in 'Athalassa' the story of the bombing of the Athalassa Psychiatric Hospital.

Stavros Christodoulou in 'Three Steps History' examines the human drama of rape.

Kyriakos Margaritis in 'Event 74' recounts the events of 1974 with references to the history of Cyprus.

Vivian Avraamidou-Ploumbi in 'The Silence of a Captivity' talks with the prisoner Dimitris (Kakis) Toumazis about his experiences.

Historical novels keep national identity and hope for the future alive.