The writer and scholar of Cornell University, Gail Holst, writes about Mikis Theodorakis

The author studied English literature at the University of Melbourne and musicology and harpsichord at the Conservatory of Sydney.

She first came in Greece in 1965 as a tourist. Fascinated by the Greek music she decided to stay until 1967, when she left Greece and returned to her country while helping resistance organizations of Greek migrants and writing a book about the rebetiko music. 

In 1972 she met Miki on a tour in Australia and after the fall of the dictatorship in 1975, she returned to our country and collaborated with Theodorakis, Dionysis Savvopoulos and Mariza Koch. 

She is an Adjunct Professor  in the Department of Comparative Literature at Cornell University and Director of the Mediterranean Initiative of the Institute for European Studies.

"I met Gail at the airport of Sydney in 1972," Mikis Theodorakis says at the foreword of the current edition. "She was my interpreter during my talks in Australia. Today, after more than 40 years, she is my personal pilot of the vessel of my music, which means that her knowledge and her opinion for me and my work have the seal of authenticity, maintaining in full the rare wealth of knowledge and views towards the Art. In this respect I consider myself lucky, because all this time I had someone who loves me to watch me and judge me. So, every time I complete a work I wonder: "What would Gail say about this? What would be her opinion?”.