Oecumene

The romance Oecumene, a tale of Greece and Egypt, originally appeared in 1949; it is a story of the art and culture of these ancient worlds, and of the people who inhabited it; the varying landscape of Africa is shown in all its awe-inspiring grandeur.

A young Hellene, Pandion, is enslaved by the Egyptians, escapes and on his way back home has many thrilling adventures. With his friends, the African Kidogo, and Etruscan Cavius, he crosses the African continent and on reaching the sea carves a wonderful cameo, a symbol of friendship and loyalty.

A short story, The Hellenic Secret, is included in this volume. This tells the story of a young artist, drawn inexplicitly towards wanting to create a sculpture of his beloved out of ivory, but is haunted by visions after suffering injury during the war. Can a professor help him unravel his hallucinations?