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Margarita Liberaki:Τα Ψάθινα Καπέλα (Three Summers)
After reading other Greek novels, the vast majority of which deal with aspects of twentieth century Greek history which was uniformly grim, this novel was something of a change. The Greeks thought so, too. It was first published in 1946, shortly after Greece had been occupied by the Germans and just as a civil war was about to start. Because it was so cheerful, the book sold very well and still does. Even Camus was impressed by the book and apparently said Poor Margarita, here in the darkness of Paris, not the light of Attica.
The original Greek title means Straw Hats but, in her foreword, the translator explains that, in the US, straw hats tend to be associated with hillbillies so she changed the title. However the French version, published well before the English version as well as the German, Italian and Spanish versions all opt for the Three Summers title, presumably all based on the French.
The reason for the Greek title becomes apparent at the beginning of the book, when we meet the three sisters who are the subject if this book. They are Maria, Infanta and the youngest and the narrator, Katerina. As the English title tells us, we are to follow them over three summers and, though they have their ups and downs, fortunately the political situation barely impinges on their life.
The sisters live with their mother, their unmarried aunt Theresa and their maternal grandfather in a large house in an idyllic countryside. The nearest neighbour is ten minutes away. Their parents are separated and their father, a banker, lives in Athens. They visit him regularly. The father is obsessed with machines and always has some project going on. It is suggested that that might be a factor in the separation though the main reason is his serial infidelity. Marital issues play a certain role in this book. Their grandfather was, of course married, but to a Polish woman. When her two daughters were still very young, she ran off with a travelling musician and has not been heard of since. Katerina, who can be quite contrary, thinks her grandmother was brave for running off with her lover. The rest of the family, of course, disageee and when Katerins behaves badly she is accused of being >like that woman.
Aunt Theresa was engaged but the young man took her to see a cave and then raped her. She has kept away from all men since then. She remains highly strung and spends her time in what she calls her atelier painting.
We meet not just the three sisters but their three (different) straw hats very early on. Each hat has a different decoration on it and they would lie in the fields in their hats, looking like flowers, while Maria tries to tell Katerina about the facts of life. She was more interested in the nature around her. There are lots of trees on the property (Liberaki’s first novel was called Trees) as their grandfather who built the property loved trees and said trees are all of creation. Their roots in the earth show us how all creatures are connected to each other and to God.
Part of the book is about how the girls grow up and cease to be girls and become young women. They stop playing games, for example, and of course boys become involved and we follow various stories of romantic issues.
It is the country so sex is very much to the fore. As well, of course, as human sex, we see all sorts of other sex – goats, bees and even pistachio trees. However these only prefigure human sex. Maria is the one most interested in boys and they are interested in her. She has various suitors of which Marios is the main one . He is the son of the local doctor, their nearest neighbour and seems to be planning in following in his father’s footsteps. He regularly visits and it is no secret where his affections lie. However Maria has a sexual awakening. She visits a neighbour to inquire about borrowing his billy goat to mate with their nanny goat. However when she arrives she only finds a young man half naked, washing himself. Her reaction is far from ladylike. When she returns home she has somewhat revised her views on Marios and agrees to marry him. Aunt Theresa gives her view: Aunt Theresa added that when two people join together in holy matrimony neither one has any hopes of ever achieving perfection.
Infanta also has a beau – Nikitas and again we have a sexual signals as she acquires an untamed horse and tames him and often races with Nikitas.
We are getting more and more into the romantic stories as Katerina has her beau, Infanta has hers and even their parents are not entirely out of the picture. Inevitably, in all cases, there are complications, jealousies and ups and downs. Maria as her baby but at the point her husband’s career is taking off, so he is around less.
As they grow up, the attention moves away from the joys of the countryside towards relationships. both romantic and non-romantic. Inevitably the relationships have their complications and we have a few will (s)he)/won’t (s)he) situations. Katerina and her young man tend to prevaricate. She tends to be very inconsistent in her views on life and relationships. At one point, for example, she says I would like to be alone in the world, all alone, and to think about Father and Dick. (Dick is the dog.)and sums up the family, saying Why must you hide, Mother, why must you hide your whole life long, like Infanta, like me, like all of us? We are all hiding from each other. This is in reference to a fairly key plot element when the mother is clearly hiding a secret and Katerina knows she is hiding something but cannot determine what.
Overall, this is a very well told tale. I have focussed on the main characters but there are quite a few other characters, all with their colourful stories. However it is Katerina and her and her family’s often wayward behaviour that make the book.
Publishing history
First published in 1946 by Pyrsós)
First English translation in 1995 by New York Review Books
Translated by Karen Van Dyck