Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese (New York Review Books Classics) [Paperback]

Patrick Leigh Fermor (Author), Michael Gorra (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: New York Review Books Classics | Publication Date: June 6, 2006

The Mani, at the tip of Greece’s–and Europe’s–southernmost promontory, is one of the most isolated regions of the world. Cut off from the rest of the country by the towering range of the Taygetus and hemmed in by the Aegean and Ionian seas, it is a land where the past is still very much a part of its people’s daily lives.

Patrick Leigh Fermor, who has been described as “a cross between Indiana Jones, James Bond, and Graham Greene,” bridges the genres of adventure story, travel writing, and memoir to reveal an ancient world living alongside the twentieth century. Here, in the book that confirmed his reputation as one of the English language’s finest writers of prose, Patrick Leigh Fermor carries the reader with him on his journeys among the Greeks of the mountains, exploring their history and time-honored lore.

Mani is a companion volume to Patrick Leigh Fermor’s celebrated Roumeli: Travels in Northern Greece.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“There is only one complaint I can think of making about Patrick Leigh Fermor’s books: They appear too seldom. When they do appear, they offer that kindest of pleasures open to a reviewer–the chance of unqualified praise.” –The New York Times

“Mani and Roumeli: two of the best travel books of the century.”– Financial Times

“…Mani and Roumeli remain extraordinarily engaging books. This is partly thanks to Leigh Fermor’s ability to turn an insight into a telling phrase …and partly thanks to his capacity to weave a compelling story out of sometimes unpromising material. One of the best tales of all is the hilarious digression in Roumeli on the attempted recovery of a pair of Byron’s slippers from a man in Missolonghi, on behalf of Byron’s very odd great-granddaughter Lady Wentworth…When you see through all the nonsense about Hellenic continuity, there is, underneath, a much more nuanced account of the ambivalences of modern Greece, its people and its myths (its own myths about itself and us, as much as our myths about it).”–Mary Beard, The London Review of Books


Praise for Patrick Leigh Fermor:
"[O]ne of the greatest travel writers of all time”–The Sunday Times

“[A] unique mixture of hero, historian, traveler and writer; the last and the greatest of a generation whose like we won't see again.”–Geographical

“The finest traveling companion we could ever have . . . His head is stocked with enough cultural lore and poetic fancy to make every league an adventure.” –Evening Standard

About the Author

Patrick Leigh Fermor was born in 1915 of English and Irish descent. After his stormy schooldays, followed by the walk across Europe to Constantinople that begins in A Time of Gifts (1977) and continues through Between the Woods and the Water (1986), he lived and traveled in the Balkans and the Greek Archipelago. His books Mani (1958) and Roumeli (1966) attest to his deep interest in languages and remote places. In the Second World War he joined the Irish Guards, became a liaison officer in Albania, and fought in Greece and Crete. He was awarded the DSO and OBE. He now lives partly in Greece in the house he designed with his wife Joan in an olive grove in the Mani, and partly in Worcestershire. He was knighted in 2004 for his services to literature and to British–Greek relations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: NYRB Classics (June 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590171888
• ISBN-13: 978-1590171882
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Travel > Europe > Greece

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book to be savored like a fine wine or dessert -, November 5, 2006

By 

M. Greg "M. Greg" (Santa Barbara, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese (New York Review Books Classics) (Paperback)

Alhtough I'm Greek American, am not particularly a Grecophile. While in Wash, D.C., a book seller recommended Mani and I got hooked. This is a book that I enjoy so much that I savor it in small pieces - the writing is fine prose, sometimes random, and a somewhat free association but what a feeling for Greece it imparts! Some sections have more details, minutae than one might be able to appreciate, but overall this is an awesome book. Makes one want to adventure travel to this area of remote Greece. The writing has such a fine patina - one can hardly stomach reading magazine travel articles in comparison to this book. Thanks to the person who recommended this book to me. For those interested in Greece, Fermor's books will be especially appreciated.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You owe it to yourself to read Patrick Leigh Fermor, April 15, 2006

By 

Lisane - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese (New York Review Books Classics) (Paperback)

The NYRB Press has done the world a great service by re-issuing Patrick Leigh Fermor's travel books about his 1939 trek across Europe (A Time of Gifts and Between the Woods and the Water) and his stay with the Mani in Greece(The Mani). To call these "travel books" is to understate their value. Fermor is a supremely gifted writer with an encyclopedic knowledge of European history, and traveling with him through Europe on the eve of World War II is an education to equal anything you might pay a university $30,000 a year for. Fermor was a unique and original 20th century spirit -- talented, curious, intelligent, adventurous, brave and much more. He not only wrote and traveled, he inserted himself into the nexus of the war and carried out spy missions and acts of bravery that showed he was a man of action and conviction as well as a man of ideas.

Anyone who loves words and loves to learn deserves to experience his books. Please do yourself this favor.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, heroic travel writing!, July 4, 2008

By 

David Lundberg "author of OLYMPIC WANDERING" (Greensboro, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese (New York Review Books Classics) (Paperback)

What a marvelous book! And written by a true, heroic genius. Fermor, a still living legend, seems to have disdained self-promotion, but upon reading a few pages of this book, you realize you have encountered a rare individual.

First, his writing. Encyclopedic, detailed, sensual, and imaginative. It exemplifies the finest characteristics of travel writing, and best of all, he explores a remote, largely unknown and distinct region of the world, the Mani. This area is a fine example of the fierce, independent Greek spirit. Fermor chronicles it through a bold exploration with his companion and future wife, Joan.

He understands the Greek mindset exquisitely well. The author is a gifted, self-taught linguist, and it is apparent that he concentrates on listening and observing intensely, then transforming his experiences into fascinating, readable prose. He comprehends the heart of the Greek people, and conveys it with an extensive knowledge of history.

Critiques? His fertile mind is so hungry that he tends to over-describe. Better to allow the reader the pleasure of using his or her imagination than recording every little detail with brilliant metaphors. You could also say he rambles, but that is common with travel writers.

Conclusion? A classic, but like most classics, not an entirely easy read. In the end, extremely worthwhile reading.

Reviewed by David Lundberg, author of Olympic Wandering: Time Travel Through Greece