Considered the first realistic social novel ever published in Greece, Thanos Vlekas is a witty and ambitious portrayal of the problems in the newly established Greek state after its war of independence (1821-27). The story of two brothers on opposing ends of the ethical spectrum, Thanos Vlekas exposes the problems plaguing the young nation -- brigandage, corruption, bureaucratic inefficiency -- with a frankness unusual for the time.

Pavlos Kalligas places the sources of Greece's ethical dilemmas in the same virtues -- heroism and resistance to authority -- that helped the nation attain its freedom. At the center of the novel is Thanos Vlekas, a young farmer hoping to improve himself and his piece of land despite the derision of his widowed mother, who considers him a "frugal ant" and "not worthy of bearing arms". Reflecting the sentiments of most Greeks, the widow prefers her ambitious and brave brigand son, Tassos. While Thanos works his land, his brother uses the political machinery and wealth gained from brigandage to replace the Ottoman landowners of a vi