Pope Joan

Roïdes' irreverent, witty and delightful novel tells the story of Joan who, according to a popular medieval legend, ascended to the Papal Throne as Pope John VIII. The truth of the legend is of little importance as the book is far more than a historical novel and, in fact, parodies the popular historical romances of the time. In Joan, Roïdes has created one of the most remarkable characters in modern Greek literature and in so doing has assured his place as one of its classic authors. "Pope Joan has a double claim on our attention for it occupies a central position among the popular books of modern Greece; and it is also in its own way a small masterpiece which might occupy a position on the bookshelf of the discerning reader midway, say, between Candide and Thaïs…" ― Lawrence Durrell "…the only Greek novel of the nineteenth century to have found a place, albeit a modest one, in the European canon." ― Roderick Beaton Pope Joan, or Papissa Ioanna as is the title of the book in Greek, was presented by Roïdes as a "medieval study". It is based on the story that first appeared in 13th-century chronicles and later spread throughout Europe of a female pope, who reigned, according to some sources, from 855 to 857 AD. Different versions of the story describe her as a talented and learned woman who disguised herself as a man in order to enter the Church and follow her lover. Because of her exceptional abilities, she soon rose through the church hierarchy and was eventually elected pope. In his preface "To the Reader", Roïdes describes how he heard the story from the mouth of a newspaper editor while in a cellar in Genoa, sheltering from the siege guns of Victor Emmanuel, and how, fascinated by the story, he later researched the historical facts surrounding it in the library of Berlin.