At only 39 years of age, author and journalist Giannis Ziotis is on his way to international recognition after his latest novel Roads of Tension has been translated into English, making him one of the few authors of his generation to represent the social novel genre outside the Greek borders.
Ziotis, born on the island of Andros, fell in love with the written word at a very young age. The favorite author of his youth and the one who nourished him with his words, was the famous Greek author of the post-world war generation Antonis Samarakis, whose novels of social protest –translated in more than 30 languages – have been Ziotis’ inspiration, making him a vigilant reader and writer, always ready to take a stance regarding social issues. Ziotis studied journalism and worked as a journalist for a couple of years, but in 2000 his life changed when he encountered his “teacher“ Samarakis for the first time. Their meeting and consequent friendship gave him the impetus to set out on his writing career and publish his first novel With the Glance of My Youth, which Samarakis acknowledged as “a marvelous work written by an author with a strong talent, sensitivity and humanity.”
ROADS OF TENSION / Synopsis (in the author’s own words):
The adventure begins in 1945 and ends today. Back then, need and hunger constantly emigrated, directly threatening whole populations with extinction. Some people, in a slough of despond because of impoverishment, opened their hands wide along the narrow alleys to touch the house walls, which would keep them company. Back then, there was so much moisture inside people, inversely proportional to the modern era…History, nowadays, seems to long for an update…When the night falls, heroes seek some hope to hold on to, fighting a losing battle on roads of tension, just like a coin that, once it slips, strives to stay up on both sides.
