The The Flaw
Published on 5. June 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-618-5048-77-8 (ISBN)
Description
A man is seized from his afternoon drink at the Cafe Sport by two agents of the Regime -- though what exactly he is suspected of we do not know, and neither, apparently, does he. What follows is a journey by car toward Special Branch Headquarters, and the interrogation that undoubtedly awaits him there. With their destination approaching, oppressed and oppressor come face to face with their deepest human feeling, locked in a game of psychological skill. As the plot slowly unravels, so, too, do its main players. Part thriller and part political satire, The Flaw is as powerful today as it was when first published in 1965, foretelling the military dictatorship that would take hold of Greece only two years later. It is the best-known work of Antonis Samarakis and has been translated into more than thirty languages, winning the prestigious 1970 Grand Prix de Litterature Poiliciere in France. This new translation marks the fiftieth anniversary of the novels publication in English.
Reviews / Votes
A real masterpiece. -- Graham Greene The Flaw... has wheel within wheels. A remarkable tour de force. Arthur Koestler, The Observer A powerful work. I only wish some people who profess democracy would read The Flaw and see what it is they actually support. Arthur Miller Samarakis [makes] you change your mind over and over about what looks so simple at first. All this technique never flaunts itself but dovetails smoothly, and without strain. The mood in The Flaw is miles from the usual supercharged world of spy thrillers. New York TimesMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Greece
Dimensions
Height: 205 mm
Width: 130 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
300 gr
ISBN-13
978-618-5048-77-8 (9786185048778)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Antonis Samarakis was born in Athens in 1919. For decades he worked as a civil servant at the Ministry of Labour, temporarily resigning during the dictatorship of Ioannis Metaxas (1936-40), and during the Second World War he was captured by Nazis and narrowly escaped a death sentence. He published his first collection of short stories, Hope Wanted, in 1954, and his collection I Refuse won the Greek State Prize for the Short Story. Samarakis has become one of the most celebrated Greek prose writers of the second half of the twentieth century, with his work translated into thirty-three languages. He was awarded the Greek Order of the Phoenix and the French Legion dHonneur. He died in 2003.