3 Amazing Instances of Cultural Exchange

An Arabic translation of a Greek text.

One of the most underrated joys, at least for me, is noticing the vast amount of cross-cultural sharing that exists in society. Modern views of "Globalism" that resound in the media tend to portray the topic as some mystical development springing from the advent of advanced communication. It's true that the internet has widened the scope of the world for the ordinary man, but cultural exchange has been around since the beginning of time.

Now, some may point out that cultural sharing can be the byproduct of violent colonialism. And that's true. But much of it also developed through other means, such as trade agreements or scholarship. Here are some of my favorite examples of successful cultural exchange.

NIE! "Maria Nephele" by Odysseus Elytis

Title: Maria Nephele: A Poem In Two Voices

Author: Odysseus Elytis

Translator: Athan Anagnostopoulos

While, once again, perusing the stacks at the UT Knoxville library, I cam across a section reserved for Modern Greek, among which the popular poet Odysseus Elytis appeared to have a nearly a full shelf. He did, after all, win the Nobel Prize for literature in 1979. Although he is well known for his work Axion Esti,I chose to read Maria Nephele due to its fascinating structure. And it certainly wasn’t disappointing.

Now In English! Review of "Nostalgic Clone"

"...when we arrive at the absolutely essential texts, when the information and narratives fashioning the suppression of needs have been disposed of and the lost knowledge returns, if nothing else at least we’ll know where we are going, what possibilities remain.” - "Nostalgic Clone", Amis M.

Last November I raided my university library in search for modern Greek fiction - and to my surprise, I wasn't disappointed. Finding literature or language books with the words "modern" and Greek adjacent to one another is like trying to find a movie rental store - it's nearly impossible. Among the several poetry volumes I collected, I did find one anthology of prose - the Dedalus Book of Greek Fantasy.

While I maintain that this entire book is a must have, the story "Nostalgic Clone" by Amis Marangopoulos is perhaps my favorite.