Kostis Tzermias' second novel,
Who was the Assassin of Vizyenos, was shortlisted for the State Literary Prize in 2002. His latest novel,
The Europeans: The Province of Feelings, is a bold anatomy of erotic relations in the context of a single (?) Europe of the twenty-first century.
The Europeans is also a study of erotic and social hatred. The story’s central hero, the philhellene Belgian writer Pierre Mortel, loathes his former lover and seeks revenge because “we’re tossed into this world to hate one another, to torment ourselves and others”. But he has second thoughts: “Is it possible for me to envisage if not some form of happiness, something that at least isn’t anguish?”
The Europeans is a novel about the dead ends that contemporary erotic and social relations face in modern metropolises.
Visit the
Reader's Guide for an interview with the author.