
A deep-seated questioning of her inherited religion resurfaces when Myrna Kostash chances upon the icon of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica. A historical, cultural and spiritual odyssey that begins in Edmonton, ranges around the Balkans, and plunges into a renewed vision of Byzantium in search of the Great Saint of the East delivers the author to an unexpected place—the threshold of her childhood church. An epic work of travel memoir, Prodigal Daughter sings with immediacy and depth, rewarding readers with a profound sense of an adventure they have lived. This book will appeal to readers interested in Ukrainian-Canadian culture, the Eastern Church, and medieval history, as well as to fans of Kostash's bold creative nonfiction.
About Myrna Kostash
Myrna Kostash's creative nonfiction continues to define and push the limits of the genre. Since the publication of All of Baba's Children in 1977, she has been a strong voice in depicting the Ukrainian-Canadian experience and its roots in European history. Her award-winning memoirs, essays, and other writing, along with her avid participation in the literary community, have garnered Kostash popular and critical acclaim at home and abroad. Most recently, she won the 2010 Writers' Trust Matt Cohen Award: In Celebration of a Writing Life. She lives in Edmonton.
Table of Contents
Cover | 1 |
---|---|
Title Page | 4 |
Copyright | 5 |
Dedication | 6 |
Epigraph | 8 |
Contents | 10 |
Part 1: Demetrius among the Slavs | 12 |
Prologue | 14 |
Byzantium on the Prairies | 33 |
Hiking for Demetrius | 41 |
Mother Thessaloniki | 48 |
Miracle on the Ramparts | 58 |
History is the Dogma of Scars | 63 |
Demetrius among the Macedonians | 73 |
Demetrius among the Serbs | 92 |
Demetrius among the Bulgarians | 105 |
Who is He Killing? | 118 |
Letting Go | 135 |
Lord, have Mercy | 145 |
Return to Canada | 148 |
Part 2: Demetrius in Byzantium | 152 |
Interlude | 153 |
Opening: The Mad Professor of Sirmium | 162 |
Slavs in Byzantium | 169 |
The Byzantine Saint | 193 |
The Guardian Saint | 223 |
The Passion of Demetrius | 251 |
The Life and Death of St. Demetrius, a Young Man of Thessalonica, April 304 (Two Versions) | 273 |
Epilogue | 286 |
Acknowledgements | 288 |
Notes | 292 |
Bibliography and Recommended Reading | 310 |
Index | 326 |
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View allBook details
- Publisher
- The University Of Alberta Press
- Collection
- Wayfarer
- Language
- English
- Categories
- Orthodox, Literary, Greece
- Published
- December 2012
- Pages
- 352
- Chapters
- 33
- ISBN EPUB
- 9780888647047
- ISBN Paper
- 9780888645340