Koula

Menis Koumandareas was born in Athens, Greece in 1931. Though he began writing early, he spent many years earning a living by working for insurance and shipping companies. His first book, Pinball Machines, was published in 1962. Three-time winner of the Greek National Book Award, Koumandareas is considered one of the leading writers in contemporary Greece. He has translated works by Poe, Melville, Faulkner, and Fitzgerald, among others, into his native language; his own works have been translated into six languages. Koula will be his first book available in the United States.

"Thousands of love stories are published every year, but Koula is much more than a simple love story. It's a book about remarkable characters written by an author who's absolutely sure of his abilities, his style. This novel is unforgettable, touching, and gripping as the melancholic end draws near." - Adonis Papadopoulos, author of Swimming Toward Atlantis "Even the most demanding reader of the book will find and enjoy therein the various and valuable threads that artfully, with remarkable economy, are woven around and within the brief encounter of the two ill-matched lovers." - Alexis Ziras, Journal ANTI"