Product Description
In the Great Fire of Smyrna (1922), Kivelli lost everything: her family, her friends, her social position, and her future. Stranded in the Greek city of Piraeus, populated by gangsters, prostitutes, fortune-tellers and other refugees, she finds herself living in the broom closet of a brothel. Luckily, the sound of her singing voice captures the attention of a local taverna owner, who suggests she come with him and perform for his customers. Kivelli's time at the bar is short-lived, but gives way to a recording career and her slow climb up the economic and social ladder of this foreign city. Although life is certainly better for her no longer the object of an auction at a brothel, no longer a singer in a disreputable taverna Kivelli misses the magical world of her youth in the great port city of Smyrna.
About the Author
Tess Fragoulis is the author of two works of fiction, including the short story collection Stories to Hide from Your Mother, which was a finalist for the Quebec Writers Federation First Book Prize in 1998. Born in Crete, she has also lived in Holland and Toronto. She now lives in Montreal, where she teaches part-time at Concordia University.
