"First Love' by Ioannis Kondylakis opens the new Elia Publishing series. The series aims to bring to light masterpieces of Greek literature from the late 19th to the mid-20th century that have until now been little known to the international literary community. This edition contains the original 1919 text in Kondylakis’s language — a blend of Cretan local dialect and 'katharevousa' — a modern Greek transcription, and an English translation. It also includes a chronology situating the work in its international historical and political context and a glossary. The book is bound in a hardcover, printed with letterpress and gold stamping. The edition is complemented by an 8‑page map showing landmarks of the village and surrounding countryside where the action takes place, intended to guide the contemporary visitor. The series is aimed at expatriate Greeks and cultural tourists. At the same time, the edition seeks to illuminate forgotten “good practices” of circular and domestic economy, vernacular architectural forms, and the value system of the period.
"First Love" is not only a story of adolescent passion; it is a journey into the human heart, into memories and the life of a place that still preserves its authenticity. It is a story that speaks to the present with tenderness, warmth, and truth: an experience that does not deny its origins and roots, but instead offers hope for their preservation.
