2024-10-22 11:06:00
Josh Hickey recommends books and bars
Hydra has a great literary heritage. The selection of recommended readings could start from the works of the most famous authors: with “The Colossus of Maroussi” by Henry Miller or the poems of Leonard Cohen. Little-known writers also lived on the island. My selection reflects a vision of the island and its inhabitants, which leads deep into the winding streets, high up the mountain and directly into the complexity of this island. We start with Hydra Book Club magazine. Each year we publish a collection of fiction, poetry, essays, and images by many authors – not just authors, but also curators, artists, critics, and philosophers. The second volume has just been published.
Books
Margarita Karapanou: “The sleepwalker”
This story surprised me the most, a hallucinatory novel whose protagonist is an island policeman, both a god and a serial killer. Tensions between locals and foreign “artists” turn deadly as the island is scorched by heat and eventually engulfed in garbage. It sounds crazy and it is. But written with a quiet elegance, typical of Karapanou.
Gregory Corso: “An accidental autobiography”
A fascinating collection of letters written by the American poet of the Beat Generation to contemporaries such as Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. In a letter from Hydra, Corso recounts how he attacked a Life magazine photographer sent to Greece to cover Leonard Cohen, then describes a drug-induced awakening while hiking to the top of the island. It speaks of light and harsh, familiar, violent and yet loving nature.
Margarita Liberaki: “Three Summers”
Margarita Liberaki is the mother of Margarita Karapanou and was also a great writer who lived in Hydra, Athens and Paris. Although this novel is set in a suburb of Athens, the level of detail with which it recounts the experiences of three sisters over the course of three summers offers good insight into Greek village life.
Bars and restaurants
The owner Anastasia and her husband are the icons of Hydra, generous and theatrical. Courgette fritters are now legendary.
Psinesai
This tavern is mostly known for its grilled meat, but owners Matina and Leonidas prepare the best traditional dishes of the island every day. Ask for something off the menu and, if you’re lucky, there will be youvarlakia, divine meatballs with egg and lemon sauce, braised artichokes, okra or chickpea soup.
The courtyard is the most charming place to eat in Hydra. Equally charming is chef Pietro, whose energetic “Buona sera!” it sounds wonderfully warm. The fresh pasta is the highlight. We are addicted to lemon and ginger linguine, to clams, to chocolate-dusted cutlet. And we never drink less than two Negronis.
Hydra is not known for its nightlife. Of the few bars on the island, two converge at a crossroads on the road leading up from the port. The best cocktails are at “1821”, named after the year the Greek Revolution began. Owners Jamie and Elaine and bartender Tassos have many repeat customers and quickly become friends with visitors. They also own the windmill where Sophia Loren’s character lived in Boy with a Dolphin (1957). Today it is the ideal place for an evening aperitif with a fantastic view. Jorge and Christos bring you a constant flow of flavorful mezcalitas.
The American
The newest bar. Cool jazz, a piano and an old fashioned Havana chic vibe. It only opened in July, but it feels like it’s been there forever. Excellent drinks menu.
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