Literati is thrilled to welcome Christopher Cosmos to celebrate the release of Island of Ghosts and Dreams. He'll be joined in conversation by Jim Burnstein.
About the Book: A woman from a small Greek village finds herself swept up in the long and storied history of her island—and its far-reaching impact—in this unforgettable story of love, passion, and resistance.
Chania, Crete; 1941.
When mainland Greece falls to the Germans after incredible and heroic resistance, the Greek government flees south to Crete: an ancient island of Gods and Kings, and Myths and Minotaurs.
Maria is a villager whose husband has been away fighting with the Greek army, and after she finds a British soldier that washes up on a secluded beach near her home, and helps nurse him back to health, the Germans then turn south and invade Crete, too.
Occupation, tragedy, and betrayal follow. The lives of Maria and her family change in an instant and she finds herself in a role she never thought she'd have to play—and one that generations of Cretans have had to assume before her.
Steeped in history and filled with unforgettable characters, Island of Ghosts and Dreams is a profoundly moving and decades-spanning tale of passion, honor, family, the great and enduring sacrifices all generations must make for freedom, and our sacred and immortal obligation to follow the strength and power of our heart, no matter where it might lead us.
Christopher Cosmos is a bestselling author and Black List-screenwriter from the Midwest who attended the University of Michigan as the recipient of a Chick Evans Scholarship. He is the author of Once We Were Here, Young Conquerors, and The Rise, and splits his time between Michigan and Greece. For more about him and his work, please follow along on Instagram @christophercosmos.
Jim Burnstein, Professor and Director of the University of Michigan’s nationally acclaimed Screenwriting Program since 1995, managed to beat the odds and make it as a successful Hollywood screenwriter without moving from his home in Plymouth, Michigan. Burnstein’s screen credits include Renaissance Man, the 1994 comedy directed by Penny Marshall and starring Danny DeVito; D3: The Mighty Ducks; and Love and Honor, starring Liam Hemsworth and Teresa Palmer, co-written with Garrett K. Schiff of Los Angeles. Other Burnstein and Schiff credits include Ruffian starring Sam Shepard (ABC/ESPN); Naughty or Nice starring George Lopez (ABC); and Ham-let, a graphic novel published by Dark Horse Comics in 2022. Burnstein also served as the executive producer of the award-winning independent 2008 film, Ocean of Pearls, directed by Dr. Sarab Neelam and written by V. Prasad. Among Burnstein’s current works are The School of Jeff, a television series with Big Bang Theory exclusive director Mark Cendrowski atttached to direct and produce; and The Rats, a screenplay currently being co-written with John U. Bacon, adapted from Bacon’s book, Let Them Lead.
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