# Cypria: A Journey to the Heart of the Mediterranean -- A Gripping New History of Cyprus - Hardcover

by **Alex Christofi** (Author)

**"A brilliant exploration of Cyprus's long history of cultural resilience. Superbly composed." -- Guardian**

**"Poetic...Compelling" -- New Statesman**

**One of _National Geographic_'s Summer Reads 2024  
**  
Think of a place where you can stand at the intersection of Christian and Arab cultures, at the crossroads of the British, Ottoman, Byzantine, Roman and Egyptian empires; a place marked by the struggle between fascism and communism and where the capital city is divided in half as a result of bloody conflict; where the ancient olive trees of Homer's time exist alongside the undersea cables which link up the world's internet.

In _Cypria_, named after a lost Cypriot epic which was the prequel to _The Odyssey_, British Cypriot writer Alex Christofi writes a deeply personal, lyrical history of the island of Cyprus, from the era of goddesses and mythical beasts to the present day.

This sprawling, evocative and poetic book begins with the legend of the cyclops and the storytelling at the heart of the Mediterranean culture. Christofi travels to salt lakes, crusader castles, mosques and the eerie town deserted at the start of the 1974 war. He retells the particularly bloody history of Cyprus during the twentieth century and considers his own identity as traveler and returner, as Odysseus was.

Written in sensitive, witty and beautifully rendered prose, with a novelist's flair and eye for detail, _Cypria_ combines the political, cultural and geographical history of Cyprus with reflections on time, place and belonging.

### Author Biography

**Alex Christofi** is Editorial Director at Transworld and author of four books published in 12 languages, including the novels _Let Us Be True_ and _Glass_, winner of the Betty Trask Prize for fiction. He has written for numerous publications including the _Guardian_, _London Magazine_, and the _White Review__. Dostoevsky in Love_ was named as a Literary Non-fiction Book of the Year by _The Times_ and _Sunday Times_

**Number of Pages:** 352

**Dimensions:** 1.23 x 9.45 x 6.28 IN

**Publication Date:** July 23, 2024

## Details

- **Price:** 30.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 30.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Cypria: A Journey to the Heart of the Mediterranean -- A Gripping New History of Cyprus - Hardcover

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