A landmark novel in Greek literature, a political document, one of the most famous Greek books worldwide, "Z" by Vassilikos in a new edition, fifty years after its first release.

"Z" needs no introduction. Or is that not true? What do we know about the most famous Greek prose work, along with Zorba, which was, among other things, proposed in 2009 by the Guardian newspaper as one of the 1,000 novels that "everyone must read"? Do we think we know it through the eponymous film by Costa-Gavras?

Vassilis Vassilikos, already a well-known and award-winning author, began working on "Z" in the heat of the moment, immediately after the assassination of Grigoris Lambrakis in May 1963. He gathered all the evidence and preliminary material but delayed the book's release due to his doubts about how to handle the subject matter in writing. The impetus for completing the work came when, as the author has said many times, in 1966 he read "In Cold Blood," Truman Capote's now-famous "non-fiction novel." As explained in the book's afterword by G. Farinou-Malamatiri, the theoretical texts of Jean-Paul Sartre, which called on writers to engage socially, also played a significant role in shaping Vassilikos' style.

"Z" was first published in November 1966, while the trial for the Lambrakis case was ongoing, causing a sensation not only because of its subject matter but also because of its pioneering writing style. The junta banned it; its reputation abroad soared, especially after Gavras adapted a part of it, with a screenplay by Jorge Semprún, into a film.

To date, "Z" has been published in 22 languages, continuing to captivate with its plot and lyrical passages, impressing with its boldness in revealing the paramilitary circuits and the incubation of criminal organizations. Its reasonable connection, finally, with contemporary events continually offers the possibility of new interpretations.