First published in the 1950s to international acclaim, Margarita
Liberaki's allegorical novel, The other Alexander, speaks to the
opposing forces inherent in human nature. This exquisite poetic drama
reenacts Greek tragedy in its evocation of a country riven by civil war
and a family divided against itself.
A tyrannical father leads a double life; he has two families and gives
the same first names to both sets of children. In an atmosphere of
increasing unease and mistrust, the half-siblings meet, love, hate, and
betray one another. Embroiled in absurdity, Liberaki's characters must
confront their doubles, as individual and collective identity is called
into question in this tale of psychological and political haunting.
Hailed by Albert Camus as "true poetry," Liberaki's sharp, riveting
prose, with its echoes of Kafka, consolidates her place in European
literature. Considered one of Greece's most distinctive voices,
Margarita Liberaki is essential reading.