''Three Summers'' ( Greek: Τα ψάθινα καπέλα) is a Greek novel written by

Margarita Liberaki Margarita Liberaki ( el, Μαργαρίτα Λυμπεράκη, Margarita Lymberaki; 22 April 1919 – 24 May 2001) was a Greek writer and dramatist. Life and career Liberaki was born in Athens, Greece, the daughter of Sappho (née Fexi), a wri ...

and first published in 1946. In 1995 the novel was translated into English by

Karen Van Dyck Karen Van Dyck (born January 25, 1961) is an American literary critic and Translation, translator. She is currently the Kimon A. Doukas Professor of Modern Greek, Modern Greek Language and Modern Greek literature, Literature in the Classics Depar ...

; it was reissued in 2019 by NYRB Classics. In 2019 Van Dyck discussed the work she did translating the novel in a blog post for '' The Paris Review''. She noted that the original title translated literally to ''The Straw Hats'' which she changed to avoid negative class connotations associated with the term "straw hats" in English. Three teenage sisters, Maria, Infanta and Katarina, come of age in the countryside near Athens shortly before the outbreak of WWII.

Summary

Kifisia Kifissia or Kifisia (also Kephisia or Cephissia; el, Κηφισιά, ) is one of the most expensive northern suburbs of Athens, Greece, mainly accessed via Kifissias Avenue, running all the way from central Athens up to Theseos Avenue in the subu ...

three teenage sisters Maria, Infanta and Katarina, live on their grandfather's estate with their grandparents, mother and aunt. Their parents are divorced due to their father's infidelities. Maria, who is nineteen, spends the first summer being deliberately flirtatious while ignoring the attentions of Marios, their neighbour who is deeply in love with her. After abruptly losing her virginity to a handsome stranger, Maria decides she wants to marry and agrees to marry Marios. The second summer Maria gives birth to her first child. Infanta has suitors, but taking after her artistic and ambitious aunt, she feels unable to pursue a sexual relationship with them. Katarina falls in love with one of her neighbours, David, and after a long and protracted summer flirtation they finally kiss in his observatory. By the third summer Maria is pregnant again, though her marriage to Marios is already rocky as he spends most of his time at work and is uninterested in her domestic life. Infanta is pursued by a friend, Nikitas, but encouraged by her aunt Theresa rejects his advances to focus on her art. Katerina and David renew their affections after he returns from studying abroad. Katerina learns that David has asked for her hand in marriage and decides to think over his proposal for a week. During this time period she discovers that her mother has secretly been keeping up a correspondence with her mother, a Polish born woman who abandoned her as a child. Katerina feels empathy for her mother and decides to reject David's offer of marriage.

Criticism

'' NPR'' called the translation "engaging and provocative."{{cite web , last1=Toll , first1=Martha Anne , title=3 Sisters Come Of Age, Dreamily, In 'Three Summers' , url=https://www.npr.org/2019/07/12/740477556/three-sisters-come-of-age-dreamily-in-three-summers , accessdate=31 October 2020

References

NYRB Classics 1946 novels