Ο ΠΡΙΓΚΙΨ ΤΟΥ ΔΕΥΤΕΡΟΥ ΟΡΟΦΟΥ. Στον καιρό του Όθωνα
Άρης Σφακιανάκης, 2017
An invented Greek in the time of King Otto tells how a tobacco merchant's son from Jassy bluffed his way into the halls of a brand-new kingdom. A witty, satirical voice carries you through a bright, wondering tale of a bluffer in a new kingdom, with joy and identity at its center.
Feels like wonder and joy. About identity, love and nature.
Who it’s for
You may enjoy this if you like historical novels that mix wit with a sense of wonder and an outsider's invented identity. Some readers found it light and fragmented, with character development that stays shallow, so expect a brisk, anecdotal ride rather than deep psychological portraiture.
Why read it
It offers a playful way into the Othonian era, showing how a made-up prince navigates a brand-new kingdom while the novel keeps its focus on voice and imposture.
A page from the book
A lie told at twenty can outlive the truth it was hiding from.
Ο δικός μου πατέρας με είχε στείλει να σπουδάσω νομικά στο Μόναχο. Καπνέμπορος ήταν στο Ιάσιο κι ήθελε ο γιος του να μορφωθεί και να γίνει σπουδαίος. Εκεί, στο Μόναχο, μια τρέλα νεανική μ’ έκανε να πω στους συμφοιτητές μου ότι είχα αίμα πριγκιπικό – είχα κατά νου έναν θείο μακρινό που κάποτε υπήρξε ηγεμόνας της Βλαχίας – κι απαίτησα να με φωνάζουν πρίγκιπα. «Τι σόι πρίγκιπας είσαι εσύ;» είπε κοροϊδευτικά ένας Γερμανός σπουδαστής. «Εσύ φοράς το ίδιο τριμμένο πανωφόρι χειμώνα καλοκαίρι. Κι οι μπότες σου έχουν τρυπήσει, καημένε μου!» Μου ανέβηκε το αίμα στο κεφάλι, του έχωσα μια γροθιά στα μούτρα, με απέβαλαν μια βδομάδα από τη σχολή, μα μου έμεινε ο τίτλος: πρίγκιψ! Κάποιοι πρόσθεταν χαμηλόφωνα «...της γυφτιάς», όμως αυτό το τελευταίο έκανα πως δεν το άκουγα. What readers say
Readers found the book easy to read and engaging, with rich historical detail and a strong sense of the Othonian era. Some praised its research and storytelling; others felt it was light, fragmented, and shallow in character development.
Άρης Σφακιανάκης.Sfakianakis is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist; his novels lean on the inner voices of outsiders and impostors rather than on historical pageantry.
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Questions readers ask
- Is Ο ΠΡΙΓΚΙΨ ΤΟΥ ΔΕΥΤΕΡΟΥ ΟΡΟΦΟΥ. Στον καιρό του Όθωνα for me?
- You may enjoy this if you like historical novels that mix wit with a sense of wonder and an outsider's invented identity. Some readers found it light and fragmented, with character development that stays shallow, so expect a brisk, anecdotal ride rather than deep psychological portraiture.
- What is Ο ΠΡΙΓΚΙΨ ΤΟΥ ΔΕΥΤΕΡΟΥ ΟΡΟΦΟΥ. Στον καιρό του Όθωνα like?
- A witty, satirical voice carries you through a bright, wondering tale of a bluffer in a new kingdom, with joy and identity at its center. Feels like wonder and joy. About identity, love and nature.
- What should I read after Ο ΠΡΙΓΚΙΨ ΤΟΥ ΔΕΥΤΕΡΟΥ ΟΡΟΦΟΥ. Στον καιρό του Όθωνα?
- If you liked Ο ΠΡΙΓΚΙΨ ΤΟΥ ΔΕΥΤΕΡΟΥ ΟΡΟΦΟΥ. Στον καιρό του Όθωνα, try The Lightning Thief (Rick Riordan), Yesteryear (Caro Claire Burke) and Good Omens (Terry Pratchett).
A taste of the feed
Even the underworld has to compete with a demigod's wandering attention.
Hades raised an eyebrow. When he sat forward in his throne, shadowy faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment,as if the garment was stitched of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to get out. The ADHD part of me wondered, off-task, whether the rest of his clothes were made the same way. What horrible things would you have to do in your life to get woven into Hades’ underwear?
The Lightning Thief · Rick Riordan
The voice policing a woman's anger often wears her own face.
A voice in my head, echoing softly: America hates angry women. The Lord hates angry women. You hate angry women. Do not be an angry woman.
Yesteryear · Caro Claire Burke
A demon's professional failing is liking the people he's meant to ruin.
He rather liked people. It was a major failing in a demon. Oh, he did his best to make their short lives miserable, because that was his job, but nothing he could think up was half as bad as the stuff they thought up themselves. They seemed to have a talent for it. It was built into the design, somehow. They were born into a world that was against them in a thousand little ways, and then devoted most of their energies to making it worse.
Good Omens · Terry Pratchett
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