- Hardcover: 200 pages
- Publisher: Zante Publishing (July 15 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0976324644
- ISBN-13: 978-0976324645
- Product Dimensions: 2.2 x 1.6 x 0.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 381 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–Part travelogue, part mythological tale, Wandering takes readers on a journey to prove that the Greek people are the modern-day equivalents of the characters in the Iliad and the Odyssey. The first part of the book follows the seldom-told tale of Ulysses's life as a young king in Greece and the events leading up to and following the Trojan War. It reads as both a novella and a history book. There's plenty of adventure, from Ulysses's quest to find Achilles to his 10-year, perilous trip home after the war. The second half focuses on the author's travels to the various Greek islands and other parts of the country, weaving together travel narrative, history, and culture. Lundberg masterfully uses historical references as a framework. Readers need not know much about Greek history or Greece as everything is explained in an easy-to-understand manner. This approach to history and culture shows that the people of Greece embody everything that existed in Ulysses's time. Although the few illustrations serve mainly as decoration, Lundberg's descriptions of the scenery and people provide more than enough information to paint a vivid portrait of the country.–Erin Dennington, Fairfax County Public Library, Chantilly, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Description
Experience a magical stroll through time and culture! Dr. David Lundberg takes us on a fascinating journey through an ancient and modern land, looking into the current faces and ancient souls of the Greeks, ... giving a glimpse of eternity. Weaving together high adventure, exciting history, and modern travel, Olympic Wandering is everyday magic!
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ancient Greek Myth and Modern Life Magically Coexist ..,
By
This review is from: Olympic Wandering: Time Travel Through Greece (Hardcover)
David Lundberg takes the reader on a magical and mysterious journey ... first, into ancient mythical Greece and after that, into her vibrant cities, dry arid countrysides and verdant colorful islands. The author reveals the unique and distinctive characteristics of this dynamic Mediterranean country. The reader visits tavernas, drinks a glass of retsina, nibbles on delicate honey sweetened pastries, rides the ferry boat from mainland Greece to nearby islands, soaks up the warm Mediterranean sun, marvels at the many shades of blue, azure and aquamarine colored waters of the Aegean Sea ... dips the toes into its cool clear water and even dances a zeibekiko. The reader meets lively people of all ages on this amazing tour of an ancient land and learns many fascinating historical and religious truths. Most interesting to this reader was the settlement history of the island of Cephalonia and the conversion of the Corinthians to Christianity by St. Paul. The author is well read and intersperses carefully gleaned information and insights from such authors as Edith Hamilton, who wrote "The Greek Way" and Nikos Kazantzakis who wrote "Zorba the Greek" and "Journey to the Morea", two of his many famous works ... The author reveals how the nation weathered many storms literally and figuratively which strengthened the spirit of the people who developed an almost fierce optimistic independence balanced with humor and faith.This superbly crafted book captures the essential nature and qualities of the Greek people and their dynamic personalities. Like the captain of a sailing vessel, the author navigates the reader through the calm and tempestuous waters of Greece's past and present through carefully chosen words and photographic word images which describe unique people and places. The reader is taken on a historical and pleasure tour of places such as Cephalonia, Lefkas, Zakynthos, Corinth, Aegina, Corfu, famous parts of Athens, and also to northern Greece, to Edessa and Kavala. After finishing this book, this reader has a desire to share the photographic impressions and wonderful discoveries learned on this magnificent argosy ... the experiences and events are unforgettable. The marvelous Greek legend about Ulysses, who goes to Troy to fight for Helen, because he pledged his word while he leaves behind his wife and child, who must fend for themselves at home, during his long absence is an allegory which many modern day Greeks live and relive one generation after the other. They have a deep longing to return home after any absence no matter what the cause for their leaving. The desire to return home was the main driving force responsible for Ulysses survival during his ardouous journey and meanderings on different islands. This book will appeal to arm-chair travellers as well as those who have literally visited many parts of the world; it makes no difference if one visited Greece or not. The book provides a distinctive and clear message about the Greek culture but most importantly about the strength, resiliency and friendly independent spirit of the Greek people. Erika Borsos (pepper flower)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (28 customer reviews) 19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Greece is more than scenery - - - - - it is also the people,
By Theodore A. Rushton - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Olympic Wandering: Time Travel Through Greece (Hardcover)
Just as no one would try to understand the American character without learning about George Washington, it's impossible to understand the Greek character without knowing something of Ulysses.Lundberg adds a third factor, a wife who was born in Greece where he served after graduating from the US Air Force Academy. The combination serves him well; his first sentence sums up the whole meaning of Greece and the USA, "The gods ordained this country for individualism". Sometimes we best recognize ourselves in the portrait of another; in this book, the rampant individuality of the Greeks within a strong cultural framework presents an interesting parallel to the US. If it's read merely as a travelogue, the book is interesting for anyone planning a visit. But it is more; again and again, without tiresome comparisons being made, it is also a reflection of American attitudes. Democracy in America was built on two foundations; first, that of centuries of English individualism, and second, a study and appreciation of the basics of Greek democracy from the age of Pericles. It is much more than the spirit of 'Zorba' and 'Never on Sunday', Lundberg delves into the Greek love of personal freedom from the Trojan War to independence from Turkey. Even though he is a scholar, he writes with the calm skill and clarity of a friend rather than the precise obfuscation of a pedant. The usual travel books emphasize objects, from ancient monuments to modern taxi fares; this book offers a clear introduction to the spirit and attitude of the Greeks. It is a nice introduction to the 'Iliad' and 'Odyssey', as well as classics such as 'The Greek Way' by Edith Hamilton. Most books emphasize the landscape and monuments and weather and other such abstractions, with the result the depth of insight for many tourists is limited to "saw the Acropolis, it was nice". Read this and you'll come home with the warm feeling "saw the Acropolis, the Greeks are wonderful people". And, for those who don't travel, there will be an increased appreciation of America. Think of the fate of this country without 'Ulysses' -- as in Ulysses S. Grant. Lundberg doesn't offer such comparisons; but, this book is likely to unleash any reader's imagination and insight. 13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Real Greece.,
By Michael Valdivielso - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Olympic Wandering: Time Travel Through Greece (Hardcover)
Before I start let me warn you that Greece is one of the two nations I wish to visit one day. The other nation is Japan. So I'm already kind of a lover of Greek history and culture even before I cracked open the book.Even if I had known nothing about Greece and its people Olympic Wandering would have been a delight to read. The author, David Lundberg, links the past of ancient Greece to the people of modern Greece by telling us the story of Ulysses's travels. But he uses the story to show us the culture and traditions that Greece has held and kept over the centuries. Greece has been able to keep itself together, even with invasions in the form of real armies and the more troublesome invasion of globalization, over those centuries. It is like exploring the roots of the tree. Ancient Greece, and the legends it brought us, hold the seeds of the warm, living Greece of today. Ruins might stand on the hill tops but the people keep the islands and mainland alive by just being themselves. And he can show it to us because he is now a part of it - seeing it through American eyes but with a Greek heart. I enjoyed, more than anything else, the chapters on the Greek people. Having been to Italy and Spain I can picture the warmth from the sun, the calm sea, the home cooked food and the untouched landscape. The book is not just about history nor is it some kind of tour book. It is a dialogue about the soul, the spirit, that makes up Greece and its only flaw is that one can't truly understand the Greece the author loves without one day going there. Get it new or used, but get it. 9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A declaration of love for Greece and the Greeks,
By isala "Isabel and Lars" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Olympic Wandering: Time Travel Through Greece (Hardcover)
After reading Professor. Lundberg's book it is difficult not to agree with his love for everything Greek! The author has spent much of his adult life in Greece and has a Greek wife, so he definitely knows what he is talking about.After a brief introduction where he describes the impact Greece had on him when he first arrived Professor Lundberg tells us how deeply rooted modern Greek culture is in the ancient Greek culture of the Homeric heroes. The first part of the book is about the hero Ulysses and how he travelled *to* Troy, and in the second part of the book the author and his family follows in the footsteps of Ulysses in modern Greece. Even though a lot has changed over the millenia, the landscapes and the culture are still more or less the same. The sea, the cliffs, the friendly and curious people, the food, the wine, and the fierce individualism of the Greek people. In Greece, in contrast to the rest of the Balkans, history is not divisive, or a weapon. for the Greeks it is a uniter, somehing that makes them comfortable with their own identity. Remember that Greece has a history at least as turbulent as the rest of the Balkans with foreign occupation, war, civil war, military dictatorships, and politicians as corrupt as any! There should be a lesson for us all here. The book is not a travel guide as such, but it will help a traveller who wants to get more than just the standard tourist sights. |
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