David Holton, Geoffrey Horrocks, Marjolijne Janssen, Tina Lendari, Io Manolessou and Notis Toufexis, The Cambridge Grammar of Medieval and Early Modern Greek. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2019, 4 vols. Pp. clxx + 2093 (numbered in a single series).

Abstract

frequently gauged the value of Cretan literature by the extent to which it remained close, intentionally, to Byzantine literature—the closer, the better. Kaklamanis, correctly, disagrees: Cretan literature is not merely a link with Byzantium; it has its own intrinsic value and expresses cogently and powerfully a different experience of the world generated under different circumstances. Very true, and yet one should recall that, albeit not always Byzantine, this new experience quintessentially medieval. The book is replete with a treasure chest of wonderful tales. Like that of the little-known Λεόντιος Πιλάτος, Petrarch’s Greek teacher from Crete. Or that of Janus Lascaris buying forty-four manuscripts from Cretan scribes for Lorenzo il Magnifico de’Medici. Or, perhaps uncanniest of all, that of the Swiss theologian Felix Faber, who complained that the sound of the sea made it impossible for him to read when he stayed at the Dominican priory in Herakleion. Vol. 1 can be read independently, but by so doing readers will squander the opportunity to enjoy the poems. In vols 2 and 3, K. marshals Crete’s poetic output to excellent effect. He includes generous excerpts from all fifty-seven poets known today, along with perceptive short commentaries and biographical notes. A glossary guarantees that even readers unfamiliar with the language of the period will not be left flailing. Illustrations, some in colour, are rich. Over the last two hundred years, Early Modern Greek scholarship has taken some tremendous steps. We have learnt how to edit the vernacular texts, how to glean complicated information from manuscripts, how to write the history of the literature and of the language of the period. K. pushes all these achievements a little further. His book will be an indispensable source for experts and the lay reader alike. It would be hard to imagine a better overall guide to Cretan literature.