Summary of Fool’s Gold
“Fool’s Gold” follows Myrsini, an 18-year-old girl from a wealthy family in Athens, as she prepares to begin university shortly before the Colonels’ coup d’état of 1967. She joins the resistance movement and becomes engaged to George, a political prisoner. The novel reaches its climax during the Athens Polytechnic uprising of 1973, when tanks are deployed against the protesting students.
Reasons to read Fool’s Gold
“Fool’s Gold” (the Greek title translates as “The Ancient Rust”) is a poignant portrayal of life in Greece under the Colonels’ regime, told from the perspective of a young university student. The novel is partly based on the author’s own experiences. Maro Douka is a renowned Greek author who has received numerous literary prizes for her work. Few of her books have been translated into English. For “Fool’s Gold”, she received the Nikos Kazantzakis Prize from the City of Heraklion.
Setting: Athens (Greece)
Original title: Η αρχαία σκουριά
Year of publication: 1979
Nr of pages: 325
