Author Manolis Lampridis takes readers on a lyrical journey through time in The Brave Men of Kasos, a novel set in 1732 on the eve of revolution, against the backdrop of Kasos—the storied island of the southeastern Aegean, known for its proud seafaring tradition.
Through richly drawn characters — captains, sailors, master shipwrights, village elders, pirates, saints, and folk heroines like Zantana — the book brings to life a world where history and myth converge. The people of Kasos gave everything they had, including their ships, to the Greek War of Independence, only to suffer the devastating destruction of their island in 1824, abandoned by the central state.
This is not just historical fiction — it’s a tapestry woven with love and loss, piracy and resistance, sea and song. Lampridis’ meticulous research meets imagination to tell the tale of a rock in the Aegean surrounded by the Carpathian, Cretan, Egyptian, and Libyan seas.
A special radio journey on Voice of Greece through the program “Fair Winds and Following Seas– Saturday Watch,” that invites listeners to sail into forgotten pages of Greek history.
Produced and presented by Antonis Karagiannakis
Broadcast: Saturday, May 24, 2025, at 08:00 Athens time (rebroadcast at 20:00)