Monemvasia: People. Place. Presence.

(Hardback)

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Description

Monemvasia has a powerful visual and emotive separation from the world. The Castro or fortress is set on a rock in the southern Peloponnese of the Aegean Sea, joined by a causeway to the Greek mainland. Inhabitants are further isolated behind the fortified walls, with only one gateway into the Castro. From the 6th century AD it has played a significant role in Byzantine and Mediterranean history. The unique environment determined how the community evolved through periods of social change.
The photographic collection spans over a century, from 1890 until the present day, and alongside historic and contemporary quotations, provides a graphic description of Monemvasian society throughout its recent history. It is an illustration of how a community, living in unique, physical and historical surroundings, may flourish and recreate within itself a strong bond of solidarity, pride and continuity. This interaction determines the pattern of the book. It is a journey, on a physical and emotional level, through Monemvasia. The chapters move through the public spaces and activities into the private experiences of family life.

Reviews

"This wonderful book of photographs, compiled by Ann Eldridge captures the magic that is Monemvasia. Its a handsome and hefty book that would grace any coffee-table, and be the ideal gift for anyone interested in Greece, in history, in photography With several essays about Monemvasia, as well as the remarkable photos, this beautiful book should definitely be on the shopping list for anyone with any remote interested in Greece. And if you havent yet been to Monemvasia, it will tempt you to go" Greece Travel Secrets

Author Bio

Ann Eldridge has completed academic research in the Classics, specialising in theunderstanding of Ancient Greeces revival during the nineteenth-century, with specific reference torevival of the Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. She has owned a house in Monemvasia in the southern Peloponnese for many years and founded the Monemvasia Photographic Society in 2005. Ann Eldridge is a chartered surveyor specialisingin urban planning.