Makavettas (1988) is a retelling of the Macbeth story, set in the world of the Greek Junta, 1967-1974. In a tongue-in-cheek crisp style reminiscent of Byzantine chronicles, it tells the story of the transformation of brilliant and virtuous Colonel Makavettas into a power-crazed tyrant. The Shakespearean legend lends an archetypal resonance to this modern tragic-comic parable which becomes especially relevant today, as the Balkans are ravaged by intrigues and power games highly reminiscent of the machinations depicted in the novel.
Makavettas was rereleased by Ikaros in Autumn 2010.
Makavettas (1988) is a retelling of the Macbeth story, set in the world of the Greek Junta, 1967-1974. In a tongue-in-cheek crisp style reminiscent of Byzantine chronicles, it tells the story of the transformation of brilliant and virtuous Colonel Makavettas into a power-crazed tyrant. The Shakespearean legend lends an archetypal resonance to this modern tragic-comic parable which becomes especially relevant today, as the Balkans are ravaged by intrigues and power games highly reminiscent of the machinations depicted in the novel.
Makavettas was rereleased by Ikaros in Autumn 2010.
Shakespeare & Macbeth
Byzantium
Modern Greek History
Δεκατέσσερα χρόνια μετά την μεταπολίτευση, ο Απ. Δοξιάδης, με το δεύτερο βιβλίο του, μας επαναφέρει στο κλίμα της εφτάχρονης στρατιωτικής δικτατορίας…
Γλώσσα πολύχημη και εφευρετική, ένας μύθος έξυπνος και κινητικός, που βρίσκεται (όπως και στο πρώτο βιβλίο του συγγραφέα) μεταξύ του ολοφάνερου – σπαρακτικά ειρωνικού ψέμματος και της σοβαρής, αδιαμφισβήτητης αλήθειας…
“Macabetas, writer-director’s Doxiadis’ second novel is this year’s most enjoyable book. Doxiadis technique is almost Stendhalian, fast-paced, lively, filled with panoramic vistas… The situation and the happenings described could easily have been taking place in another country. If the names were Spanish instead of Greek and the setting Latin American we would still have a totally convincing tale.”
“Macabetas is an inventive, lively novel… The narrative is characterised by total economy, moving effortlessly between the commonplace and the totally unexpected… The theme of legitimacy of political action is at the book’s centre. It would be a mistake, however, to assume that the choice of a serious subject makes for heavy reading. On the contrary, Macabetas is an extremely …continue reading…
“Macabetas is one of the most interesting and entertaining books I have recently read… At last, someone looks at the dark period of the junta from a light-hearted side, and this without ever losing from sight its horror and tragedy. What’s more, I daresay that the novel’s almost parodic point-of-view achieves a deeper insight into the issues at stake…”
“An adventure tale… it will be read from first page to last at one sitting: The first proof of its writer’s talent… At the novel’s centre is a hero who embodies the best and the worst of modern Greece. Plots, intrigues, treason — the reader is drawn into the dark world of the junta and its conspirators… One of the …continue reading…
“With its multi-layered, inventive language, its lively and clever plot and its classical narrative development, Macabetas proves that Doxiadis is not only a born storyteller but also has an distinctive individual voice…
From all points of view, Macabetas is a pleasant surprise. In Greece, only the worst memories of the time of the ‘colonels’ survive: censorship, torture, deportation, and disaster in Cyprus…