The 13th labour of Hercules : state failure, social breakdown and the struggle to start over in Greece / Yannis Palaiologos.

"Since the revelation of its massive hidden deficit in late 2009, Greece has been at the centre of the world's attention. Observers round the globe have watched with morbid fascination as the country has repeatedly flirted with political and financial chaos, as one failed rescue programme has followed another, as extremism has spread and Greece's official creditors have bickered about the causes of its inability to recover. How did a prosperous, seemingly advanced economy in the heart of Europe collapse so precipitously? And why has it proved so hard for it to get back onto its feet again? Through a series of compelling stories of Greek life today, The 13th Labour of Hercules brings to life the social, cultural and political forces that left Greece defenceless when the global economic hurricane came, and the vicious interplay between economic depression, institutional failure and social breakdown since the country's great crisis began."--