The summer reading list might already need replenishing thanks to long hours of daylight this month, so add the following books to your reading list.

July 7 marked the birthday of one of the most iconic figures in Greek music, Nikos Xylouris. He was born in 1936 in Anogeia, Mylopotamos Province, Rethymno Prefecture, a village perched on the slopes of Mount Ida, also known as Psiloritis, literally ‘high mountain,’ the highest mountain on the island of Crete, to a musical family. Like many in the rural community of herders and farmers, the family was also well-versed in traditional Greek music. A gifted musician and composer, Xylouris performed on the Cretan lyra and utilized his distinctive voice in an impressive range from the traditional Cretan songs to the more urban Entekno style with its lyrical themes often based on the work of famous Greek poets. During the years of the Greek military junta, Xylouris’ music was banned from radio and TV as his voice gave hope to the movement to restore democracy in Greece. Xylouris would have turned 88 years old this year had he not succumbed to cancer at the age of 43 in 1980. He left an indelible mark on music in his too brief career and continues to influence the younger generations of artists through recordings of his work. Members of the Xylouris family also continue the family’s musical legacy to the present day. Journalist Nitsa Loule wrote a biography of Xylouris first published in 1984, just four years after his untimely death. The book, titled ‘Nikos Xylouris: H Zoi kai to Tragoudi Tou’ (Nikos Xylouris: His Life and Song) was re-released in 2010 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of his passing. The book is available in Greek online.

Another more recent biography of Xylouris by Christos N. Charalambous, also in Greek, was published in 2003 and is a testament to the enduring legacy of the iconic Cretan musician. His dramatic life story is recounted in the book from his early days in Anogeia, picking up his first lyra at age 12, and by 14 already performing at weddings and panegyria. In his teens, he was a sought-after musician in the surrounding villages of the area.

Moving to Heraklion as a young man was a turning point in his life as his career began to take off and he met the woman who became his wife, Ourania Melampianakis. The difference in their social status was viewed as an impediment at that time since the Melampianakis family was well-off while Xylouris was a musician from a rural village. Though her father did allow them to marry, avoiding a blood feud between the two families, the couple chose to elope which led to Ourania being shunned by her family for a time, until Xylouris’ career truly took off.

The couple’s love story is often compared to the epic romance poem ‘Erotokritos’, widely considered one of the most important works of Cretan literature which tells of the trials and tribulations suffered by two young lovers, Erotokritos and Aretousa, daughter of Heracles, King of Athens. Composed by Vikentios Kornaros in early 17th century Crete, it consists of 10,012 fifteen-syllable rhymed verses, the last twelve of which refer to the poet himself. Written in the Cretan dialect, ‘Erotokritos’ has been a source of inspiration for Greek artists since it first appeared and parts of it have been set to music many times by many well-known Cretan artists, including Xylouris himself.

Theodore Stephanides, doctor and polymath, perhaps best known today as a friend and mentor to Gerald Durrell and as a character in the British television series ‘The Durrells in Corfu,’ translated ‘Erotokritos’ into English. The book was published posthumously in 1984, dedicated to Lawrence and Gerald Durrell.