"Ancient Rust," the first novel by Maro Douka, was published in 1979, causing a sensation among the public and critics. It was preceded by the short story collection "The Well" (1974), the novella collection published under the title "Where Are the Wings?" (1975), and the short story collection "Fix Square" (1976). Almost thirty years later, and having established itself as an emblematic work of modern Greek prose, it is re-released in a revised edition by Patakis Publishers, as part of the gradual re-publication of all the author's works. The text is accompanied by reviews written about the book at the time of its first publication, reflecting its warm reception by critics and its strong impact on a society that has not yet settled its accounts with the past. As critic Kostas Stamatiou wrote in the newspaper "Ta Nea," it is "a quasi-document of a schizophrenically tragic era."

"...It is the right of every generation to bring its own dream to the forefront and turn it into reality by its own standards. In this regard, the author has nothing to envy from what she inherited from a series of notable Greek female prose writers. Because in her turn, she captures in her own expressive way what constitutes for her: I heard, I saw, I felt."
Angelos Fouriotis, "Akropolis"

"Ancient Rust is simultaneously the story of an emotional education, the portrait of a generation, and the confession of a failure. If Maro Douka's book had such success in Greece immediately after its publication and remains an important work, it is because an entire generation recognizes itself in it."
Fucille Farnoux, "Le Monde"