A Stop at Matala

Modern thought and ancient Greek mysteries combine at the coastal village of Matala, the hippy 'hot spot' of Europe in the late 1960's, on Greek island of Crete. In his novel, A Stop At Matala, Eugene Arnone presents vivid characters and situations, juxtaposed with archaeological, historical and mythical elements. The story is told in the first person, by young American, Joseph Zerretti, who, after wandering around Europe for a year, arrives in Athens in July of 1968. Caught up in the...
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Modern thought and ancient Greek mysteries combine at the coastal village of Matala, the hippy 'hot spot' of Europe in the late 1960's, on Greek island of Crete. In his novel, A Stop At Matala, Eugene Arnone presents vivid characters and situations, juxtaposed with archaeological, historical and mythical elements. The story is told in the first person, by young American, Joseph Zerretti, who, after wandering around Europe for a year, arrives in Athens in July of 1968. Caught up in the crisis of conscience with the modern industrial world and his country's war in Vietnam, Joe prepares to abandon his Western heritage and travel to India to explore Eastern spiritual values. In Athens, however, he meets and falls in love with an English girl, Lissa, who is vacationing there. As Lissa prepares to return home, Joe promises to be united with her in England after his return from India. Before leaving Greece, Joe makes a visit to the island of Crete, the home of the ancient Minoan civilization. On the ferry, Joe meets Heini, who explains the forgotten links between the mysterious Minoans and the rational Greeks. Heini describes this transition as a social revolution in the time of the Athenian hero, Theseus, which shifted the culture from the great goddess to a male-orientated system, a ground-breaking event that is barely remembered in the myth of the birth of the Divine Twins, Apollo and Artemis. The two friends separate after landing in Crete. Joe visits the Minoan palace of Knossos and then travels to the remote village of Matala on the island's desolate southern coast. An international commune of cave dwellers resided at Matala, known then as known as the 'heart of the Hippy Trail,' a network of passageways whose octopus-like arms extended from tiny Matala into Europe, Africa and Asia. In myth, Matala is also known as the port where Zeus, in the guise of a white bull, first landed with the princess Europa on his back after abducting her from the Near East. At Matala, Joe meets fellow travelers, tourists, students and troglodytes who sojourn in the tiny village with its hippy cave commune. Joe makes new friends and soon is involved in various adventures, including a grape-picking contest, nighttime revelry, coming to the aid of friends, and a conflict with the local police which threatens the existence of the counterculture commune. During this time, while adjusting to his separation from Lissa and prompted by strange dreams and Heini's theories, Joe unravels ancient secrets within the Greek myths concerning the magical island and eventually comes to a deeper understanding of the Minoan's influence over our modern Western world. Bolstered by this, Joe begins his journey along the Hippy Trail into the cultural worlds beyond his own. The novel is told in three parts with approximately 200,000 words. It is mostly fiction although many of the incidents are taken from the author's own experiences at Matala in 1968. These he has combined with his long-time interest in Greek mythology and his training as a professor of English. The story is told in simple language that is both enjoyable and insightful. A certain amount of poetic license is employed to fill in the gaps left by the archaeological and literary records to enrich this imaginative work of fiction. Curious readers, armchair scholars and nostalgic hippies will find this vivid tale of romance and mystery both enchanting and insightful.