Conjuring the ghost of Leonard Cohen on Hydra

As I try to relax on the Greek island, which is romantically haunted by Cohen and Marianne Ihlen, I am yet further haunted by one of Beckett's letters, and by grammar.

By Deborah Levy

A98CB5 Greece, Hydra, Man in tiny fishing boat

I was introduced to the Greek island of Hydra, a two-hour ferry ride from Athens, by a gaunt Samuel Beckett scholar who thought I would like the swimming. He told me there were plenty of opportunities to dive off rocks into the open sea. He also recommended a volume of Beckett’s letters to take with me.

I took him at his word and he was right about everything.

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Deborah Levy

Deborah Levy is a novelist, playwright and poet. Her work includes the novels Swimming Home (2011), Hot Milk (2016), The Man Who saw Everything (2019) and August Blue (2023).