In this ‘Odyssey’, Ithaca is a New Life

MNEMOSYNI’S MUSINGS…

Maria A. Karamitsos

You’ve heard of Mnemosyni, the Greek goddess of memory. Mythology buffs will know that she’s also the goddess of storytelling—and mother of the Muses! So, it’s only fitting to name a literary column in her honor. Here, you’ll learn about authors, poets, books, and all things “Greek” literary.
By: Maria A. Karamitsos

In this ‘Odyssey’, Ithaca is a New Life

An Aegean Odyssey: A Memoir reveals author Kathryn Gauci’s return to Greece to search for the old—and the new.

USA Today Bestselling Author Kathryn Gauci just released her 15^th book—and first memoir. An Aegean Odyssey: A Memoir follows a return trip to Greece in 2005. But in this odyssey, she’s not searching for a literal home. She’s searching for the old and the new, and the experience changed the trajectory of her life.

Born in Leicestershire, UK, Gauci has lived in Greece and in other parts of the world. She now calls Melbourne, Australia home. From her time living in Greece in the 1970s, to her life-changing trip in 2005, to subsequent return visits, she is a veritable philHellene.

Designing a life abroad

Gauci enjoyed a first career as a carpet and textile designer. “I was always interested in art from childhood,” she revealed. “My parents always encouraged me.” Her parents were also creative. “My father painted, and my mother embroidered.”

As she prepared to finish high school, she took the General Certificate of Education, a test all students took to get into college, in embroidery. Gauci began her studies in fashion and embroidery, then shifted to textiles and ceramics. Ultimately, she decided on a graduation course in carpets, as “there was hardly anyone doing it at the time”. She specialized in carpet design and technology.

Her first job as a carpet designer took her to Vienna. After a time, Gauci decided she should try out another city. She applied for positions in several countries, including Italy, Portugal, and Iceland. “But Greece responded first. The company flew me over for an interview and allowed me a few days to explore. I hadn’t been to Greece before. I had to pinch myself when I finally got to see the Acropolis, and to this day I never tire of it.”

Living history in Greece

In 1972, Gauci accepted a position with Anatolia Carpets, then located in Nea Ionia/Kalogreza in suburban Athens. This area was populated by Asia Minor refugees. Through them, she was introduced to Greek and Asia Minor Greek history and has been fascinated by it ever since. “Almost everything I knew until that point had to do with Ancient Greece, particularly the art. I wanted to learn everything.” When she discovered that she lived near the site of Greek heroine and Resistance leader Lela Karagianni’s operations base, “I had to know everything about her, because every day I walked where she did”.

Her early years in Greece were under the Regime of the Colonels. “They were harsh times, as almost everyone knew of someone who had either been imprisoned by the regime or who was being watched.” She lived within walking distance from the Athens Polytechnic and witnessed the historic events. “I lived history. I saw the events that led up to that fateful night when the tanks rolled in and several students were killed, and the aftermath of it all.” She recalled that after the Junta fell, “there was a period of enormous optimism.”

She adored Greece. Gauci was an anomaly, as most foreign women there at the time worked as nannies. “I was the only English person, and I was thrown into learning Greek at the deep end. I didn’t need to know Greek for my job, as I worked on the same machines I had previously, and I knew how to design for that sort of technology.” She eventually learned the language. But after enduring the process of work permit renewals each year, she reluctantly, left Greece in 1978. “At the time I was married to an Englishman, an artist who later became a wonderful carpet weaver. When he couldn’t get a work permit, he wanted more security. So, we found work in New Zealand. I later learned that security is a state of mind. From there, I settled in Melbourne.”

Finding Ithaca

Over 30 years in the carpet and textile industry, Gauci had seen much. She enjoyed this career, but the industry began to change. “Companies closed or moved offshore. And I’d lost some of the passion I had for this work. I wanted to find another love that would give me that surge of adrenaline again.” Writing intrigued her. “It ticked all the boxes. I could be creative, study history and culture, and travel when and where I wanted. Greece called to me because I felt so at home there. I’d been back several times since I’d lived there, but only for quick visits.” Then in 2005, Gauci headed to Greece, hoping to reconnect with the Old-World traditions she experienced. But she also had a dream: to tap into the spirit of some of her literary heroes, like Nikos Kazantzakis, Lord Byron, Patrick Leigh Fermor, and others.

On a two-month solo trek, Gauci visited her old Athens haunts, then set out for the islands: Chios, Crete, Karpathos, Lesvos, and Rhodes. “It was a hard choice, as all the islands offering something unique.” She did find the “Old Greece” she was searching for, and so much more. She found her Ithaca—not a particular place, but a bridge to a new life, a new adventure, and a new career.

Back at home, she painstakingly typed up all her notes. But it didn’t feel right to publish them at the time. “I didn’t know why. But I followed my gut instinct.” Nearly 18 months after that fateful journey, she set to work on her first historical novel, The Embroiderer (2014). The story weaved her experiences as a carpet designer and her time living in Greece. It’s a saga that spans nearly 150 years of Greek history, beginning with the Massacre of Chios through WWII, including the Asia Minor Catastrophe, with a modern-day period (1972). The story follows an English woman who is summoned to the bedside of her dying aunt in Athens and uncovers her family’s dark past. Gauci went on to pen 13 more historical novels, set not only in Greece, but also in Austria, France, and Turkey. She’s won multiple awards for her work and is now a USA Today Bestselling Author.

Odyssey revealed

Her 15^th book, called An Aegean Odyssey: A Memoir, came out last month. “After reading many wonderful memoirs set in Greece, I realized none recounted a journey like mine. Few had touched on the Greece that I knew when I lived there. When I went to Greece in 2005, I had hoped to find—and I did—the old Greece, the one that’s fast disappearing due to modernization and tourism. And now, having had more experience as a writer, the timing felt right. Sometimes putting a little distance in our work can be beneficial. I’m glad I did this, as it has fired me up to take another odyssey.”

Currently, Gauci is working on a new book, on World War II Malta. There’s more to come after that, including more stories set in Greece. “I hope to explore other areas of Greece further north.”

An Aegean Odyssey: A Memoir is available now. Don’t miss it. Learn more about Kathryn Gauci and her books at https://www.kathryngauci.com/.

Happy reading! See you next time for more of Mnemosyni’s Musings.

Maria A. Karamitsos is a journalist, author, and poet. She’s the founder & former publisher/editor of WindyCity Greek magazine and former associate editor & senior writer for The Greek Star newspaper. Maria also contributes to Greek City Times and TripFiction. Her work has been published in The Magic of Us-A Moms Who Write Poetry Anthology, The Pen Poetry Magazine, Voices of Hellenism Literary Journal, Highland Park Poetry, Recipes & Roots, GreekCircle magazine, The National Herald, GreekReporter, Harlots Sauce Radio, Women.Who.Write, KPHTH magazine, and more. Maria has contributed to two books: Greektown Chicago: Its History, Its Recipes and The Chicago Area Ethnic Handbook. She’s currently editing her 1st novel. mariakaramitsos.com