Le Juge de Thessalonique : un polar pour faire connaître Byzance

In brief

Historian Marie-Hélène Congourdeau has released a historical thriller titled Le Juge de Thessalonique (Salvator) to introduce readers to the Byzantine Empire. The novel follows the investigations of Judge Thomas through the streets of Thessalonica during the 14th century.

The book depicts the revolt of the Zélotes and the political instability following the death of Emperor Andronic III. The plot covers the civil war involving the regent Anne de Savoie, her 9 year old son Jean V Paléologue, and the general Jean Cantacuzène.

Congourdeau, a former researcher at the CNRS and recipient of the University of Artois first novel prize, includes several religious figures in the narrative. The story features Saint Grégoire Palamas, a defender of hesychasm, and Saint Nicolas Cabasilas, a lay theologian and advisor to Emperor Jean VI Cantacuzène.