The Book
Written on the Knee
A Diary from the Greek-Italian Front of WWII
"A story of love, separation and family ties threatened and strengthened by war — and an authentic historical document of Greek involvement in World War II."
During the Greek-Italian conflict of World War II, Dr. Theodore Electris, newly married and idealistic, was called up to the Greek-Italian front in the remote mountains of Albania. Homesick, hungry and desperately missing his young wife, Chrysoula, he kept an intimate journal to preserve his experiences for her.
Translated by his daughter, Helen Electrie Lindsay, Electris' entries and letters come together in Written on the Knee. Fully illustrated and accompanied by supporting reference material, the collection serves as both an authentic historical document of Greek involvement in WWII and a story of love, separation and family ties threatened and strengthened by war.
Often overlooked in the scope of WWII, Greece's six-month conflict with Mussolini's forces played a pivotal role in the war's outcome. The small country's fierce resistance against the Italians delayed Hitler's move into the Soviet Union, which many historians believe turned the war in favor of the Allies.
The book features an introduction by Louis de Bernières, author of Captain Corelli's Mandolin.
A new, revised third edition — with newly drawn maps of the diary's journey — is forthcoming from Calumet Editions.
Endorsements
"Written on the Knee," a diary by a Greek Doctor who found himself on the Albanian front in 1940 when Italian forces invaded Greece, is as raw and wrenching an account of trench warfare as I have ever read. It is also a stirring story of human endurance as he tries to be an effective doctor despite the mud, the brutality, and the wretched conditions of life in the trenches. But it is essentially an uplifting story because what keeps him going is his love for his wife and his determination to survive and return to her, which he ultimately accomplishes. A fierce, first-hand account of the reality of war, minutely observed and vividly rendered. Nicholas Gage, author of Eleni
Nicholas Gage was an Executive Producer of The Godfather Part III, co-writing an early draft of the screenplay with Mario Puzo. The film was nominated for seven Golden Globe Awards and seven Academy Awards.
An Interactive Companion
Dr. Electris' Journey, 1940–41
On November 1, 1940, Dr. Theodore Electris left Thessaloniki for the Greek-Italian front in the mountains of Albania. Six months later he walked back through the door to his wife, Chrysoula.