WRITTEN ON THE KNEE

How can a war be won without air power, without motorized vehicles, without sufficient means of transport? Theodoros Electris, a reserve artilleryman on the Greek-Italian front, answers this question clearly in his diary. Self-denial, daring, endurance in hardship and bravery, but above all love for freedom arm the heart and hand of the defenders of the homeland and thwart any calculations and plans of the conquerors. The testimonies of soldiers, anonymous fighters, their records in diaries and notes have been valuable historical sources that show us how authentic and true history is written…

Written on the Knee is a collection of text and images that offer a unique account of the 1940s war. At the heart of the book is the fascinating and moving diary of the newly married doctor Theodore Electris, who suddenly found himself separated from his wife to take part in a bloody war in the rugged mountains of Albania. The Albanian mountains, so vaguely described by historians, come alive in this diary. In almost every entry he refers to his ‘sweet wife’, Chrysoula, but at the same time describes the hardships and horrors of war. The reader feels the need to follow each day by reading non-stop page after page. Various other documents, as well as a foreword by Louis de Bernier, author of the award-winning novel The Mandolin of Captain Corelli, reveal the heroic resistance of the Greek army against Mussolini’s expansionist aggression.

The preface and appendices provide all the details that help the reader to fully understand the Allied and Axis motives, and the geopolitical implications of that aspect of World War II. A brief historical review, moreover, with the most important dates allows the reader to follow the events described in the diary. Written on the Knee is a book for every Greek. The three hundred Spartans and the other heroes of ancient Greece come to life on the frozen Albanian Front. The spirit of bravery and self-denial that pervades Greek history is also found here, in the fascinating diary of doctor Theodore Electris.