The fairy tale published by the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation, titled Gunpowder for the Revolution by Sophia Kalantzakos, illustrated by Thanos Tsilis, is now available in English.
This publication, related to the theme of the Open-Air Water Power Museum in Dimitsana, describes the daily life of two youths in the area during the time before the Greek Revolution in 1821: their struggle to get education, to find work and to “discover” the world beyond their village, as well as their participation in the preparations that led to the Revolution.
Sophia Kalantzakos, Professor of International Relations and Environmental Policy at New York University, invites us to a world familiar to adults but largely unknown to children. Starting from the common path and the love between the two protagonists, Violeta and Nicholas, the author sheds light on aspects of the pre-revolutionary history of Dimitsana, as well as the participation of its inhabitants in the preparations for the Revolution.
Moreover, illustrator Thanos Tsilis takes a sensitive and dynamic approach to the characters and the historical and natural environment of the fairy tale, combining elements that refer to comics and children's graphic novels.
The pictorial and graphic design synthesis transports us to Dimitsana, presenting, among other things, the water-powered installations and equipment that today form the exhibits on display at the Open-Air Water Power Museum.
The Greek edition was published in 2021, as part of the Anniversary Activities by Piraeus Bank for the 200th anniversary of the Revolution of 1821.
The publication is also available the Greek Braille version.
Gunpowder for the Revolution
Sophia Kalantzakos
Illustrations by Thanos Tsilis
Translated by: Sophia Kalantzakos, Orfeas Apergis
Athens 2024, 64 pages
ISBN 978-960-244-234-0
€ 18