The Greek War of Independence from Turkey (1821-1829) is a lesser known period of Modern Greek history, and Giorgi's Greek Tragedy, a historical novel, depicts a riveting account of Greece's struggle for independence from the Ottoman Turkish Empire that occupied Greece and her Balkan neighbors for four centuries from 1453 to 1829.
During the final years of occupation, agents of the Sultan's elite Janissary Corps murder Giorgi's parents and kidnap their oldest son in order to train and serve the Sultan in Constantinople (present day Istanbul), a system known as "child gathering". Seeking revenge, Giorgi and younger brother Yianni leave their Aunt Anastasia's home and scour the rugged mountains hoping to join forces with their boyhood hero, Capitan Zaharias and the outlawed Greek freedom fighters. Tragic mishaps occur along the way, preventing Giorgi from fighting alongside his hero. The setting for this story takes place in the craggy mountains of the Peloponnese peninsula of Southern Greece from 1790 to 1829. Ensconced in deep caves, the fighters live and train to battle the Turks.
Far below in the valleys, overtaxed and overworked peasants toil and endure every day in the fields just for basic survival and gain great satisfaction from their accomplishments, no matter how small. Through it all they never give up on their dream of independence.
The story comprised the lives of three generations of a peasant family and of the cruel treatment inflicted upon them by the Turks. Love of family, love between a man and a woman and love of country are recurring themes in this poignant tale.
