Ithaca Island Bay Leaves: a mythistorima

by Vana Manasiadis

Part family exploration, part personal narrative, this haunting and delicate debut collection weaves the mythic into the everyday.

Drawing on her Greek heritage, Vana Manasiadis has Icarus crashing in Wellington storm, Theseus as a DOC ranger, and her grandfather, grandmother and mother threading their way through times, places and incarnations.

Exploring the ex patria feeling of ‘being here and being there,’ she sews together Greece and New Zealand to create a playful and deeply moving journey.

'Ithaca Island Bay Leaves is alive with the re-telling of legends that shape and sustain cultural relocation; with acute observation and insight, and the warmth of Vana Manasiadis's alluring, original poetic voice.'

– Stephanie de Montalk

Vana Manasiadis was born in Wellington in 1973 and completed a Master of Arts in creative writing at Victoria University in 2005. In-between times she has taught classics, drama and English, and lived in Athens, Paris and Bologna. She currently resides in Crete.

Title: Ithaca Island Bay Leaves: a mythistorima
Author: Vana Manasiadis
Category: Poetry
ISBN: 978-0-473-15235-2
Format: Paperback, 150 mm (wide) x 200 mm (tall), 80 pages
RRP:  $25
Publication Date:  December 2009