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A richly rewarding narrative about a young painter's love affair with the Greek island of Sifnos
When Christian Brechneff first set foot on the Greek island of Sifnos, it was the spring of 1972 and he was a twenty-one-year-old painter searching for artistic inspiration and a quiet place to work. There, this Swiss child of Russian émigrés, adrift and confused about his sexuality, found something extraordinary. In Sifnos, he found a muse, a subject he was to paint for years, and a sanctuary.
In The Greek House, Brechneff tells a funny, touching narrative about his relationship to Sifnos, writing with warmth about its unforgettable residents and the house he bought in a hilltop farm village. This is the story of how he fell in love with Greece, and how it became a haven from the complexities of his life in Western Europe and New York. It is the story of his village and of the island during the thirty-odd years he owned the house―from a time when there were barely any roads, to the arrival of the modern world with its tourists and high-speed boats and the euro. And it is the story of the end of the love affair―how the island changed and he changed, how he discovered he had outgrown Sifnos, or couldn't grow there anymore.
The Greek House is a celebration of place and an honest narrative of self-discovery. In its pages, a naïve and inexperienced young man comes into his own. Weaving himself into the life of the island, painting it year after year, he finds a place he can call home.
- Sales Rank: #977142 in Books
- Published on: 2015-01-20
- Released on: 2015-01-20
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.10" h x .76" w x 5.85" l, .74 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 304 pages
From Booklist
Some people are born to love a location and never leave, deeming it the perfect spot for their senses and sensibilities. Others have to travel the world before they discover a place they can truly call home. So it was for artist Brechneff, who stumbled off the ferry onto the Greek island of Sifnos and fell into a sheltering oasis that would both nurture his developing artistic talents and define his emerging sexual identity. While the island’s natural beauty served as his creative muse, its local inhabitants welcomed him as one of their own. He was known to everyone as “Christo,” Swiss by birth, Greek by choice. Nosy crones fiercely monitored his comings and goings, gracious taverna owners generously poured his retsina, and a capable and wily contractor helped him build the hilltop house of his dreams. Describing his 30-year love affair with the island and its people, Brechneff paints a portrait as vivid and captivating as anything he ever committed to canvas. --Carol Haggas
Review
“After reading The Greek House by the painter Christian Brechneff . . . I wanted to drop everything and go to Sifnos, the rocky island in the Aegean Sea lovingly portrayed in his memoir.” ―Steven Kurutz, The New York Times
“Swiss painter Christian Brechneff's story--a beguiling mix of genres, from travelogue to art guide--is the next best thing to actually going to a Greek island.” ―Richard Horan, The Christian Science Monitor
“In this enjoyable memoir/travelogue, Christian Brechneff, a young artist, spends several idyllic years on the Greek island of Sifnos . . . Brechneff provides a stirring portrait of his magical experiences in this sexually charged island atmosphere . . . The stories are all illuminating, offering insights on human nature and finding a sense of belonging. The book might even send readers to Sifnos in search of their own Greek fantasy.” ―Gary M. Kramer, Instinct
“This enchanting memoir by Swiss-born painter Brechneff illuminates the simple beauty of a remote Greek island where the painter found solace over a 35 year career . . . Brechneff's narrative is an unadorned yet sensuous tribute to the adopted land and people that inspired his work.” ―Publishers Weekly
“Punctuated by spare, evocative sketches--seascapes, landscapes, portraits--[The Greek House], written with Brechneff's partner, Lovejoy, is no mere travelogue of an idyllic retreat . . . The author's alluring narrative combines erotic liaisons with vivid portraits of islanders and visitors . . . his candor is winning, and hard to resist, as we follow his growth from naïve young man to worldly, accomplished adult.” ―Kirkus Reviews
“Brechneff paints a portrait as vivid and captivating as anything he ever committed to canvas.” ―Carol Haggas, Booklist
About the Author
Born in the Belgian Congo in 1950, Christian Brechneff was educated in Switzerland and the United States (St. Olaf College). In 1975 he received his master of arts degree from the Royal College of Art in London. He has exhibited in Switzerland, Spain, England, Germany, Sri Lanka, and the United States, and his paintings appear in public and private collections all over the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Brechneff is also the author of Homage: Encounters with the East, a book of travel drawings published in 2007. He lives in Hadlyme, Connecticut.
Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Those Greek Islands!!!
By marty
I also bought and renovated a house on a Greek island, so this book speaks very personally to me. I arrived in the late 80's, already a much different time than when Christos arrived. I,too, grew personally there, learned a new language, learned a new cuisine, learned new aesthetics. I did not arrive with sexual ambivalence, however!! My professional life had nothing to do with the island. I had amazing encounters with locals, Athenians and other foreigners. Like Christos I also had major disappointments in persons from each of these groups. I also encountered the Byzantine business of island bulding, plumbing, real estate and government issues, etc. Christos descibes all this so beautifully.. you, too will want to hop the next plane a plane (and boat) to one of these islands. The two things that distinguish Christos story are the tantalizing hints at sexual encounters and frustrations.He does capture the innate eroticism of the Greek islands. The writing is that of an artist, so is so much more lyrical and poetic than my own would be. His observations are also those of an artist.
Christos spent longer stays on Sifnos than I was able to stay on my island, and therefore, is better able to describe the daily routine of his village than I can of mine. He is capable od bringing tears to my eyes when he talks about finally leaving his Sifnos house. I know how he feels.
Despite my very personal affection for this book, I think it has tremendous general appeal. He portrays unforgettable characters, and unforgettable sites and sights. Let yourself be carried away by Christo.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
Touching and thought provoking
By Douglas
For me the book definitely got better as Christian gets older. He starts out young (emotionally), grows up and matures, becoming more insightful, both of others -- and importantly for my enjoyment of the story -- of himself. I found the ending chapters virtually profound, with gifts of wisdom that stopped my reading and started me thinking how they applied to my life. Fascinating life journey.
Truth in 'advertising.' The authors are friends of dear friend of my husband and mine. The book was a gift from Christian and Tim when they came to our boat last week and we met them for a second time (the first years ago). A gift indeed -- with great staying power.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
A Splendid Memoir!
By DocIwn
A house on the Greek island of Sifnos--in addition to providing solace and artistic inspiration for over thirty years--has rendered up yet another gift to Christian Brechneff. It has now yielded the beginning, middle and end of a circular and redemptive journey. Told in seamless collaboration with Tim Lovejoy, it is really a masterwork of the memoir genre. The Greek House is a sheer delight to read--now funny, now hauntingly poignant, always reflective, filled with change and discovery, or as a Greek might say "epiphany."
The book makes real an exquisite place, that is inaccessible to most. It brings the island and her people to the top of one's mind and weaves a unique social history in the telling. Here is a deeply personal search that resonates because it is also a journey, a love story, a cautionary tale--and a growth to wisdom with which we can all identify. It is always elegant, always eloquent, never rancorous, never tedious. The details are remarkable, whether they describe a glorious event--or the corner joints of a room.
The prose is magical as in: "Bouncing over the still-new dirt road, the warm air blowing in my face, I stared out at the dusty golden fields, the silver-leafed olive trees, everything drowning in light mauves and silver, gold, and rose tones in the early-evening light, soft and weightless--can light have weight?--like the pale, shiny color inside the chambers of a nautilus shell."
Most vital and valuable for the reader is an analog to the artistic process that led to so many exceptional works by a brilliant painter.
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