Secrets of the Swamp

PENELOPE DELTA is generally regarded as the most widely-read twentieth-century Greek novelist and storywriter for youth. To the present day, she remains a popular author and an intriguing figure for Greeks of all ages. In the last decades, another volume of her Memoirs—published posthumously—and a book of essays on her work from a 21st century perspective have appeared, revealing a life deeply involved in the major issues and events of her times. Delta chose the Byzantine Empire at its height in the "heroic age of Basil II" as a subject for her first two historical novels. Her final and most acclaimed book, Secrets of the Swamp, pays tribute to the Greek rebels who fought in the Macedonian Struggle during the declining years of the Ottoman Empire (1904-1908). Both were little-known periods of Greek history she helped open up to generations of young readers.

RUTH BOBICK translated Penelope Delta's novel, In the Heroic Age of Basil II, and has written articles about her life and work. A freelance writer, she is presently preparing an account of the Settlement Movement at Jane Addams' Hull House, focusing on its influence upon social reform in America.
Also Translated by Ruth Bobick: In the Heroic Age of Basil II Emperor of Byzantium, by Penelope Delta