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Bellstone : The Greek Sponge Divers of the Aegean by Michael N. Kalafatas (2003, Hardcover)
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You are purchasing a Good copy of 'The Bellstone: The Greek Sponge Divers of the Aegean'. Condition Notes: The book is in good condition with all pages and cover intact, including the dust jacket if originally issued.
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About this product
Product Identifiers
PublisherBrandeis University Press
ISBN-101584652721
ISBN-139781584652724
eBay Product ID (ePID)2435246
Product Key Features
Book TitleBellstone : the Greek Sponge Divers of the Aegean
Number of Pages308 Pages
LanguageEnglish
Publication Year2003
TopicPersonal Memoirs, General, Fisheries & Aquaculture
IllustratorYes
GenreTravel, Technology & Engineering, Biography & Autobiography
AuthorMichael N. Kalafatas
FormatHardcover
Dimensions
Item Weight22.4 Oz
Item Length9 in
Item Width6 in
Additional Product Features
Intended AudienceTrade
LCCN2002-153371
Reviews"With the publication of BIRD STRIKE, Kalafatas' name deserves to be added to that list of authentic American heroes." --Lively-Arts.com
Dewey Edition21
TitleLeadingThe
Dewey Decimal331.7/6397
Table Of ContentGenealogy of the Kalafatas Family of Symi * Chronology * Prologue * Hit by the Machine * Protest * Penelope's Revenge * The Poetics of Manhood * Swallowing the Wind * The Sponge Wars--Tarpon Springs, Florida * Sea Fever * Pearling in Austrailia * Mousmolo * The Purloined Letter * "Winter Dream" * Kherimerinos Oneiros * Epilogue: Windflower * Bibliography * Acknowledgements
SynopsisFor centuries, the young men of the Dodecanese Islands, a string of islands in the Aegean Sea between Greece and the coast of Asia Minor, earned their living by diving for sponges. They would descend to the bottom of the sea on just a single breath of air, using as a weight and rudder a flat, marble diving stone called a bellstone. They used this ancient technique of "naked diving" until 1863 when the deep-sea diving suit was introduced into the sponge-fishing industry. The new diving suit (dubbed "Satan's machine" by the divers) allowed the diver to remain under water for long periods of time, increasing his productivity a hundredfold, but it also brought a dramatic change in the physiology of diving. Rather than taking one deep breath, the diver now breathed compressed air, which caused "the bends" if he rose from the depths of the sea too quickly. Pressure from international companies to increase the number of sponges harvested on each dive led to mounting casualties. Between 1866 and 1895, on the island of Kalymnos alone, 800 young men died of the bends and 200 more were paralyzed. Michael N. Kalafatas's grandfather, born on the island of Symi, was eye-witness to these events. In 1995, Kalafatas discovered an epic poem entitled "Winter Dream" written by his grandfather, Metrophanes Kalafatas. The poem, composed a century earlier in Greek, recounts the plight of sponge divers confronted with this new technology. He had the poem rendered into English by award-winning poet, Olga Broumas, and using it as his bellstone, dove into his own past. While tracing the historical and cultural contours of this uniquely Greek livelihood, Kalafatas carries the reader from the Dodecanese Islands in the nineteenth century to Constantinople and the Black Sea as well as to contemporary Tarpon Springs, Florida and Melbourne, Australia--the far-flung outposts of the Greek sponge-diving diaspora. He portrays the hubris of young sponge divers defying the odds; the passion of their wives and mothers in protesting the new diving suits; the venality of international capitalists intent on maximizing their investments; and the courage of the Dodecanese people in adapting to catastrophic changes beyond their control. The story Kalafatas weaves is deeply personal, as his grandfather's poem leads the author back to Greece. But The Bellstone is more than just a personal story; it is a lamentation for and celebration of the families, history, and culture of the sponge divers of the Dodecanese., Guided by his grandfather's poem about sponge diving, one American returns to Greece to reclaim his past., For centuries,the young men of the Dodecanese Islands, a string of islands in the Aegean Sea between Greece and the coast of Asia Minor, earned their living by diving for sponges. They would descend to the bottom of the sea on just a single breath of air, using as a weight and rudder a flat, marble diving stone called a bellstone. They used this ancient technique of "naked diving" until 1863 when the deep-sea diving suit was introduced into the sponge-fishing industry. The new diving suit (dubbed "Satan's machine" by the divers) allowed the diver to remain under water for long periods of time, increasing his productivity a hundredfold, but it also brought a dramatic change in the physiology of diving. Rather than taking one deep breath, the diver now breathed compressed air, which caused "the bends" if he rose from the depths of the sea too quickly. Pressure from international companies to increase the number of sponges harvested on each dive led to mounting casualties. Between 1866 and 1895, on the island of Kalymnos alone, 800 young men died of the bends and 200 more were paralyzed. Michael N. Kalafatas's grandfather, born on the island of Symi, was eye-witness to these events. In 1995, Kalafatas discovered an epic poem entitled "Winter Dream" written by his grandfather, Metrophanes Kalafatas. The poem, composed a century earlier in Greek, recounts the plight of sponge divers confronted with this new technology. He had the poem rendered into English by award-winning poet, Olga Broumas, and using it as his bellstone, dove into his own past. While tracing the historical and cultural contours of this uniquely Greek livelihood, Kalafatas carries the reader from the Dodecanese Islands in the nineteenth century to Constantinople and the Black Sea as well as to contemporary Tarpon Springs, Florida and Melbourne, Australia--the far-flung outposts of the Greek sponge-diving diaspora. He portrays the hubris of young sponge divers defying the odds; the passion of their wives and mothers in protesting the new diving suits; the venality of international capitalists intent on maximizing their investments; and the courage of the Dodecanese people in adapting to catastrophic changes beyond their control. The story Kalafatas weaves is deeply personal, as his grandfather's poem leads the author back to Greece. But The Bellstone is more than just a personal story; it is a lamentation for and celebration of the families, history, and culture of the sponge divers of the Dodecanese.
LC Classification NumberHD8039.S55552G763
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Ratings and reviews
Most relevant reviews
- 09 Aug, 2017
Wonderful Greek sponge diving history!
Lots of info that was new to me, fantastic historical read!
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
