The value of the pieces that are the focus of this volume lies in their allotting ample space to literary imagination and portraying saintly figures who transcend the limits of a life entrenched in social conventions. Readers will be transported to a literary landscape that typifies the branch of Byzantine hagiography closest to fantasy or magical realism.
All in all, Stratis Papaioannou has put his philological skills and his efforts to excellent use in presenting a sound edition of these Greek texts and producing a readable English translation. Collections of stories of the sort included in this volume contribute to making Byzantine hagiography accessible and available to an audience beyond that of experts.
Stephanos Efthymiadis
The Medieval Review
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