Bitter Lemons

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“This is not a political book, but simply a somewhat impressionistic study of the moods and atmospheres of Cyprus during the troubled years 1953-6. I went to the island as a private individual and settled in the Greek village of Bellapaix. Subsequent events as recorded in these pages are seen, whenever possible, through the eyes of my hospitable fellow-villagers, and I would like to think that this book was a not ineffective monument raised to the Cypriot peasantry and the island landscape. It completes a trilogy of island books. Circumstances gave me several unique angles of vision on Cyprus Government for the last two years of my stay in the island. Thus I can claim to have seen the unfolding of the Cyprus tragedy both from the village tavern and from Government House. I have tried to illustrate it through my characters and evaluate it in terms of individuals rather than policies, for I wanted to keep the book free from the smaller contempts, in the hope that it would be readable long after the current misunderstandings have been resolved as they must be sooner or later. I much regret that the cutting of my overgrown typescript removed the names of many friends to whom I am deeply indebted for material and information on Cyprus; let me briefly make amends by thanking the following for many kindnesses: Peter and Electra Megaw, G. Pol Georghiou, Fuad Sami, Nikos Kranidiotis, Paul Xiutas, and Renos and Mary Wideson. The poem ‘Bitter Lemons’ first appeared in Truth, March I, 1957.” – Preface, p.11

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