Sudbury Scholar Helps Get His Great Uncle's 90-Year-Old Greek Book Translated

SUDBURY, MA — Sometimes, those stories of yore get lost in translation - literally, and for a long time.

In 1926, Nikolaos Nitsos, a scholar from the village of Tsamantas in northwest Greece, published his first book called Tales, Rituals and Songs: Exploring the Unknown Popular Culture of a Greek Mountain Village. This fascinating study of everyday life in a Greek mountain village was lost for nearly 70 years, until it was found in a flea market in Athens and republished in 1992.

The Holy Cross Orthodox Press of Hellenic College and the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline published the ethnographic monograph that depicts the unexplored popular culture of a Greek mountain village in English translation for the first time.

Sudbury resident Soterios Zoulas, Nitsos's grand-nephew, essentially saved the book from oblivion, raising funds, hiring a translator and finding a publisher. He is the executive editor of the 15-year project.

"I am seeking my roots in the global village," he told Patch.

Nitsos's greatest contribution to the ethnography is in the final six chapters, which contain a substantial collection of folklore material from Tsamantas and the surrounding communities. He documented material that was in danger of being lost forever.

"I have been committed to this book for more than a decade," wrote Zoulas in a speech he shared with Patch. "It started with a phone call from my brother Steve (Stavros), who was then treasurer of the St. George Society, a fraternal organization dedicated to the betterment of the village of Tsamantas and its people. My father had been the treasurer also in the 1930s."

Zoulas's brother asked him if he could find a Greek scholar and translator for the book. At the time, Zoulas worked at Brown University and had access to its many scholars, but he still could not find one.

"My search was fruitless," he said. "I did not find a competent and brave translator who willing to tackle this difficult and obscure Greek. Finally, it led me to Paddy League here with the help of Fr. Nick former president of Hellenic College. The complexity of the original Greek text and its antiquated form was a challenging undertaking."

“Holy Cross Orthodox Press was pleased to publish Tales, Rituals and Songs, because it can promote a deeper study of the Hellenic heritage of today's Greek-American community,” said Anton Vrame, director of the Press, in a statement. “Knowing something about where we came from, even if it's a village that few of us may ever visit, can spur interest in the places of our origins, even if it's right here in the United States," he added.

It is available for $39.95 at the Holy Cross Bookstore.