Books About Greece: From Novels to Ancient Mythology

Set on Crete, this classic novel contrasts the restrained narrator with the exuberant Zorba, whose appetite for life becomes a philosophy in itself.

Kazantzakis, one of Greece’s most important modern writers and the most translated Greek author worldwide, was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature nine times! In this novel, he explores freedom, identity and the Greek spirit through this unforgettable character.

Zorba the Greek is one of his most well-known works, and my top pick for an insight into the Greek way of living and thinking. However, his other works also come highly recommended, including Freedom or Death and The Last Temptation of Christ.

2. A Theater for Dreamers – Polly Samson

Set on Hydra in the 1960s, this lyrical novel follows a young woman drawn into an artistic circle that includes poet Leonard Cohen.

Samson captures a sun-drenched, bohemian Greece and reflects on creativity, love and belonging.

3. Scorpion Fish – Natalie Bakopoulos

Taking place in Patras, this modern tragedy centres on a disgraced academic whose quest for revenge spirals dangerously out of control.

Bakopoulos uses the story to explore pride, masculinity and contemporary Greek society.

4. Where the Wandering Ends – Yvette Manessis Corporon

Inspired by real events on Kefalonia during the Second World War, this novel blends romance and resistance with themes of memory and survival.

Childhood friends Marco and Katerina are separated as the war breaks out, then the following decades take them down different paths. There are also influences of Greek folklore and mythology.

Corporon draws on her Greek heritage to portray the courage of ordinary people in wartime.

5. The Murderess – Alexandros Papadiamandis

Translated by Peter Levi

First published in 1903, this dark novella tells the story of a woman who kills infant girls to spare them lives of suffering.

Papadiamandis exposes poverty, superstition and the oppression of women in rural Greece with chilling power.

6. Three Summers – Margarita Liberaki

Translated by Karen van Dyck

Through the coming-of-age of three sisters in pre-war Athens, Liberaki explores adolescence, desire and emotional freedom.

Her nostalgic, poetic style captures a Greece poised between tradition and change.

The novel has been likened to I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.

7. Why I Killed My Best Friend – Amanda Michalopoulou

Translated by Karen Emmerich

This darkly comic novel examines friendship, jealousy and obsession, moving between Greece and the wider world.

The plot follows childhood friends Anna and Maria into adulthood, through personal ups and downs, against the backdrop of Greece’s turbulent politics.

Michalopoulou reflects on modern Greek womanhood and the fragility of close relationships. The novel has been likened to Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels series.

8. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis de Bernières

Set in Kefalonia during the Italian occupation in the Second World War, this sweeping love story blends humour with tragedy.

It remains one of the best-known English-language novels set in Greece.

9. Circe – Madeline Miller

A feminist retelling of Greek myth, this novel gives voice to the sorceress Circe, a character in Homer’s Odyssey. Miller reimagines an ancient figure as a woman seeking independence and self-definition, bridging mythology and modern fiction.

Miller has published a number of reimagined Greek myths, including The Song of Achilles, though Circle is probably the most popular.

This is also a great example of a growing genre of reimagined Greek myths from a female perspective. Other writers and titles include Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne, Costanza Casati’s Clytemnestra, Natalie Hynes’ Stone Blind and Claire North’s Penelopiad trilogy.

Read Next: I also included this book on my list of the best books to read for spring.

10. Excavations – Kate Myers

Set on an archaeological dig in Greece, this witty novel combines romance and mystery with academic rivalry.

The four narrators are four different women working on the site, each with their own personal and professional issues.

Myers brings ancient ruins and modern relationships together in a story driven by secrets and ambition.

Travel Memoirs Set in Greece

11. The Colossus of Maroussi – Henry Miller

Miller’s exuberant account of pre-war Greece celebrates the country as a spiritual refuge from modern life.

His encounters with writers and landscapes are described with infectious enthusiasm.

12. Peel Me a Lotus – Charmian Clift

Clift recounts her years on Kalymnos with warmth and wit, depicting island life marked by simplicity and close-knit community.

Her memoir is a classic of Mediterranean travel writing.

13. Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese – Patrick Leigh Fermor

Exploring the rugged Mani peninsula, Leigh Fermor blends history, folklore and personal adventure.

His elegant prose offers a deep portrait of one of Greece’s most distinctive regions.

14. My Family and Other Animals – Gerald Durrell

Durrell’s beloved childhood memoir on Corfu mixes humour with natural history. His affectionate depiction of family chaos and island wildlife has introduced generations to Greek island life.

His books have been adapted into The Durrells in Corfu.

Non-fiction Books About Greece

15. A Concise History of Greece – Richard Clogg

This clear and accessible overview traces Greek history from antiquity to the modern state.

It is ideal for readers seeking a solid grounding in Greece’s political and cultural development.

16. Greece: Biography of a Modern Nation – Roderick Beaton

Beaton treats Greece as a living entity shaped by language, memory and struggle.

His narrative explains how ancient heritage and modern identity coexist within today’s nation.

Best Books on Ancient Greece

17. The History of the Ancient World – Susan Wise Bauer

Covering early civilisations through to Rome, this sweeping history places ancient Greece within a wider global story, making it ideal for newcomers to classical history.

18. The Darkening Age – Catherine Nixey

This provocative reassessment argues that early Christian zeal contributed to the destruction of classical culture.

Nixey offers a challenging perspective on the fate of Greek philosophy and art.

Books about Greek Mythology

19. The Iliad – Homer

The foundational epic of Western literature recounts the final days of the Trojan War. Its themes of honour, rage and fate underpin much of Greek storytelling.

Likewise, there is The Odyssey, which recounts Odysseus’s long and eventful journey home to the island of Ithaca. The 2023 modern translation by Emily Wilson comes highly recommended.

For more classic Greek literature, add Sophocles’ Theban plays (Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus),to your list.

20. Mythos – Stephen Fry

Fry retells Greek myths with humour and clarity, making gods and heroes accessible while preserving their drama and strangeness. I highly recommend the audiobook, which Fry also narrates.

Grab your free trial of Audible here or discover other places to get e-books and audiobooks for free here.

While Mythos focuses on the Greek gods or Olympus and their myths, the follow-up book, Heroes, follows famous heroes from Greek mythology, such as Hercules and Jason.

21. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes – Edith Hamilton

A classic introduction to Greek myth, this book presents ancient stories in elegant prose, preserving their emotional power and cultural importance.

Greece Coffee Table Books

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