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Mid 1900s: There is a Dark Labyrinth in Crete
Mid 1900s: There is a Dark Labyrinth in Crete
Just after writing Prospero’s Cell about Corfu and a good ten years before writing Justine, this was the novel which put Crete on the literary map.
An intriguing story at the time of WW2 and follows a odd bunch of English travellers who are sailing through the islands on a very posh cruise when they decide to stop off and explore this little unknown island they know as Crete. They’ve heard that there is some kind of labyrinth here and are keen to get to know it and explore it.
But caves are not the most welcoming of places and if you’re not careful there could be a misstep or two.
The group of rich tourists who come to the island are a mixed bunch to say the least. There’s a painter who’s a bit of an extrovert, a spiritualist, a religious spinster with her dog, an eccentric couple, a soldier and many varieties of humanity in between.
But it’s the wild and mysterious island which captivates, its history, archeology and the fakery and mysticism which shadows the island just as much as the clouds around it.
The labyrinths are dark indeed and dangerous too. What would happen if there was a fall or an accident. Who and how would you call for help?
The story is said to have been inspired by the Greek legend of the Labyrinth of Minotaur. But the tunnels here are not just the obvious ones but the ones of the human soul.
Destination: Crete Departure Time: 1940s
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