INSULA, n° 2, december 1993 : Emile Kolodny's book is so complete
that it does not only introduce Chora, the county-town of Amorgos
island, the eastmost among the Cyclades. In fact it deals with
the island at large, as the titles of the three parts suggest :
- Amorgos, a remote Cyclade,
- Flimsy demography of a microcosm,
- An island of people in
search of new resources.
This is the framework for this
200 pages-work, without mentioning some fifty pages in the
annex (including a glossary, bibliography and statistical tables).
Though containing a mine of
information on the daily life of the islanders as well as their
history and their demographic changes, this book remains
pleasant to read and this for several reasons. Evocative titles,
a lively style, a call to original historical sources (such as
the stories of the travellers in past centuries),
precise details, contribute in making this book interesting and
alive. The author tells us about the destiny of some of the islands's
characters (their work and fate) and also describes scenes important
to Chora's life, such as the arrival of the ferryboat.
One of the great attributes
of this book is that it studies the contemporary phenomena in
a dynamic historical perspective. Indeed, the author
has personal notes covering the 1966-1991 period, during
which society in Chora has evolved faster than it has
in the last centuries.
The subjects of interest are numerous.
These include the history of Greece seen from a narrow
angle, the good and bad fortunes of the Cyclades
along the centuries, and the infrastructures and public equipment
of a Greek island in the present times. The book
discusses how a small island of 126 km2 and 16,000 inhabitants
copes with its transportation, water provision and education
problems. The parallel evolution of Chora (the old village
located on the hills) and of its port Katapola and
the organization and exploitation of lands and meadows
on the main island and neighbouring ones,
attached to Amorgos, are also discussed.
This deep study of a tiny
village eventually gives a complex but realistic view of the
island's community. In brief, a very interesting book for researchers
as well as for the lay-man. A tremendously well documented
publication, in which the oral sources compensate the
small amount of written ones.
Stéphane Aubriet
