Congratulations to Guest Blogger Robert McCabe

Photo of Robert McCabe by Vasiliki Eleftheriou

Jeff—Saturday

Once again Murder is Everywhere has shown to have its collective finger on the pulse of what’s happening in our literary locales.  In this case, I must admit it’s a serendipitous moment, because seven months ago, when I introduced American Photographer Robert McCabe to our readers as a guest blogger, I had no idea that the Greek government would grant him honorary citizenship—one month after conferring the same honor on American actor Tom Hanks.

Here’s a link to Bob’s July 20, 2019 post, containing examples of his extraordinary skills.  For those interested in learning more about this gifted artist and remarkable man, the following is taken from Greece’s Ekathimeri coverage of Greece's consul general in Boston, Stratos Efthymiou, awarding Bob honorary Greek citizenship for his service to the country. 

 

Greece's Consul General Efthymiou and Robert McCabe

Every Greek photography lover knows McCabe’s work. He visited the country for the first time in the 1950s when he was a student at the University of Princeton. He fell in love and started taking photographs of everything he saw: the islands, archaeological sites and monuments, landscapes and people. It was a time when the country was untouched by tourism and largely undeveloped, when hospitality was still genuine and pure, when the lives of many people in far-flung parts lived pretty much the same way as their forefathers centuries before.

McCabe became an ambassador for Greece’s charms, showing the world what made him fall in love with the country so deeply in exhibitions and publications. His marriage to a Greek, Dina, his companion in life and art, just made that love stronger.

He has also supported a number of Greek-American educational institutions, including Athens College, the Gennadius Library and the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. McCabe’s family has even bought and restored the residence in Beacon Hill, Boston of Samuel Gridley Howe, a respected philhellene who fought for the Greeks in the War of Independence in 1824.

Furthermore, McCabe has undertaken a number of initiatives that show his support for the country, including the donation of 35 photographs to the Boston Consulate.

The greatest gift the American photographer has given Greece, however, is sharing his point of view of the country, the way he captured with such respect and admiration ancient sites like Epidaurus and the Acropolis before their restoration, but also humble pictures of day-to-day life, including wooden fishing boats, barber shops and tavernas, presenting scenes of a country that is almost lost today.

His most recent projects include a wonderful coffee-table book on the Strofades Monastery on an islet off the coast of the Ionian island of Zakynthos that was damaged in an earthquake in 2018, a book on the holiday island of Mykonos and another on Santorini before the devastating 1956 earthquake, which just came off the press and will be available in Greece and the US in a few weeks’ time.

CONGRATULATIONS, BOB!

—Jeff

Jeff's 2020 Speaking Engagements and Signings (in formation):

Friday, March 13, 10:15AM

San Diego, CA

LEFT COAST CRIME—San Diego Marriott Mission Valley—(Sierra 5-6)

Moderating “Tipping the Scales: The criminal justice system,” with Teresa Burrell, Keenan Powell, L.F. Robertson, and Karen Stefano.

Saturday, March 14, 2:45PM

San Diego, CA

LEFT COAST CRIME—San Diego Marriott Mission Valley—(Rio Vista F-H)

Panelist, “Murder Goes Global: International Mysteries and Thrillers,” with Annamaria Alfieri, Ana Manwaring, and Greg Randall, moderated by Jane Stillwater.

Monday, March 16, 2020, 11AM-2PM

Saddlebrooke, Arizona 85739

FRIENDS OF SADDLEBROOKE LIBRARIES 

30th Anniversary Authors Luncheon

SaddleBrooke Clubhouse

40010 S. Ridgeview Blvd.

Author Speaking and Signing

Thursday, June 4--Sunday, June 7, 2020

BRISTOL, UK

CRIMEFEST—Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel

Panels yet to be announced 

Thursday, October 15—Sunday, October 18

SACRAMENTO, CA

BOUCHERCON

Panels yet to be announced