Santorini is a paradise of paradox. The dark, foreboding stretch of a sleeping dragon cuts sharply through the sublime calm of the sea. White washed cliff dwellings bounce light from an otherwise black, and dark landscape. It is a picture, literally of survival. Life is carrying on here against the backdrop of a volcano that could at any time implode upon
itself. Risk is in the air here. Somewhere between the persistence of life and the possibility of destruction, is Atlantis Books. Never before have i witnessed a place so allegorical to the people in it. The entrepreneurs each carry within themselves a fire, a passion for the extraordinary. Creation is not a hobby here, it is a way of life. Whether it be a sunset poetry reading set to live violin, the screening of obscure foreign and independent films, a creative way to display books, or the group effort of a home cooked meal, the inhabitants of Atlantis books have figured out that life is in the details. I am now thousands of miles away from that Grecian island, but i still carry within me the smell of the sea, the unbearable afternoon heat, Will’s amusement at my use of the word ‘bitchin,’ and the warmth that comes from
being around people filled with so much light. Thank you for a memorable visit.