Cypria

Engaging, vigorous and at times passionate…Christofi offers a personal account as well as a carefully-annotated history. Rich in curious information. * David Abulafia, Times Literary Supplement *From ancient myth to modern militarism, a brilliant exploration of Cyprus’s long history of cultural resilience. Superbly composed. – Steven Poole * Guardian *

A remarkable book about a beautiful island that has lain in the path of every Mediterranean storm. Christofi is a witty and elegant guide to Cyprus’s history.

* Literary Review *An engaging portrait of Cyprus’s variegated and sometimes troubled past. * Country & Town House Magazine *In this finely crafted new history of Cyprus, Christofi tells a remarkable story of an island where Christian and Arab cultures meet at a crossroads of empires, British, Ottoman, Byzantine, Roman and Egyptian. A lyrical account of a divided place that is in a way a microcosm of the European 20th century, but with olive trees. * The New European *In poetic prose, Cypria tells a wide-ranging national story. Christofi makes a compelling case for Cyprus as a uniquely clear vantage point from which to view the birth of the modern world. – Pippa Bailey * New Statesman *In this beautifully-written book, Alex Christofi tells of the contradictions that make Cyprus so fascinating, an island as ageless as its olive trees and contestations over its historical memory. * Marc David Baer, author of The Ottomans *Christofi sees Cyprus from both the inside and outside, as a returnee and a traveller. The result is a modern, original book that reinvigorates writing about place in an arresting, lucid, and connected way. It puts the island back in the middle of the map, brought to life in Christofi’s always beautiful, erudite prose. * Sophy Roberts, author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia *Clear, erudite and wonderfully affable, Christofi’s ability to fuse his own family’s relationship to Cyprus with that of its wider history, makes Cypria a necessary and illuminating read. Warm, poised and informative, Christofi’s reach is expansive, bringing Cyprus into sharper focus without jettisoning or shying away from complex and sometimes unpleasant aspects of its recent past. * Anthony Anaxagorou, author of After the Formalities *This beautifully-written book is a delight from start to finish, with gems on every page. Alex Christofi is a fond yet even handed guide to Cyprus. If you have never been this book will make you want to go. * James Barr, author of Lords of the Desert *Alex Christofi’s new book offers readers a thoughtful, unexpected look at Cyprus’s history. * Inside Hook’s Ten Books You Should Be Reading This July *[Alex Christofi] brings a novelist’s eye to the subject, and a turn of phrase to leave the academic historians in the dust… It’s a book that has the unmistakable whiff of a quality piece of publishing and has clearly been a labour of love. * Neill Denny, BookBrunch *Cypria is an impressively wide-ranging history of a fascinating island, written with a grace and lightness of touch that still manages to convey much of the bitterness of Cyprus’s recent past. It is a book to be enjoyed on a hot summer’s day…but also to be pondered when darker nights draw in. * The Critic *This is an entertaining and well-researched history of the island. * Balkan Wargamer *Hippos[…]along with dwarf elephants, used to roam the island of Cyprus, one of many pleasing facts in Alex Christofi’s Cypria. Blending millennia of history with modern-day travelogue, the author covers the island as both the birthplace of Stoicism and a centre of the war trade, from the forging of Alexnader the Great’s favourite sword to its present use as a platform for RAF jets. * Guardian’s best books of 2024 *