On the occasion of the release of Chara Zymara's book, 'Iremias (Tranquility) 21', published by 'To Rodakio', an event is being organised for its presentation on April 26th, 2024, at 18:00 at the Home for Cooperation. 

At the event, the author of the novel will converse with: 

• Marina Economidou, Director of the newspaper 'KATHIMERINI CY', and

• Nasia Dionysiou, author

The discussion will be moderated by the journalist Evdokia Papadopoulou.

Ivi, an active and rebellious journalist, turns thirty-four and is forced to return to her paternal home. Penelope, married to a Turkish Cypriot, lives in Varoshi and searches for her son, who has grown up on the other side. Two women, who have chosen to live unconventionally on an island where a different order of things prevails.

Their lives intertwine and they meet in 2004, on the eve of the referendum for the Annan Plan, during a period of intense polarisation. 

The intertwining of their stories is prompted by a real event: the censorship imposed on the European official Gunter Ferhoegen, a fervent supporter of the Annan Plan, when his interviews were cancelled in all Cypriot media outlets, following directives from a higher order. 

Adventures from the lives of ordinary people intersect during that critical time, twenty years ago, just before a path that could possibly lead to tranquility is lost. 

The book's release coincides with a particular chronological juncture, as 2024 marks twenty years since the rejection of the referendum for the Annan Plan proposed by the United Nations, as a solution to the Cyprus problem. The period before and after the referendum has remained in the country's history as a time of social polarisation and intense propaganda, as the plan gained fervent supporters and opponents, at a time when the Cypriot society was unprepared to discuss with maturity and moderation any possibility of resolution. Since then, the two communities of the island have not come as close to a similar opportunity for achieving lasting peace, with most pessimistic political analysts speaking of the last missed opportunity for a solution. 

The watercolour adorning the cover is the creation of the artist Katerina Attalidou. 

Chara Zymara was born in Nicosia in 1988. She studied Political Science at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and European Political Economy at the London School of Economics. She works as a Communication Officer in the private sector, while she has previously worked as a journalist and communication consultant. She maintains the blog mikresakesistories.com where she publishes stories with "marginal" stories mainly featuring women.