Mission Box

Mission Box (Το Κιβώτιο) is a political novel by Greek writer Aris Alexandrou, his most known work. It was written from 1966 to 1972 in Paris, where Alexandrou lived in self-exile, following the 1967 coup. The novel was first published in Greek in 1975, by Kedros Publications. It was translated in French by Colette Lust in 1978 and in English by Robert Crist in 1996.

Its plot is set in the Greek Civil War era, and revolves around various related thematic poles. It is considered to be one of the greatest works of 20th-century Greek literature.

Plot
During the final period of the Greek Civil War, following an order from General Headquarters, a group of rebels undertakes to transport a crate of unknown contents to a rebel-held city, passing through enemy territory. They are told that succeeding in delivering the box shall ensure their army's final victory. As the mission unfolds, the team's members perish one after the other.

In the end, only one rebel survives, finally managing to deliver the crate. However, when he arrives at his destination, the box is found to be empty and the rebel is imprisoned by his comrades for sabotage. He then begins to write reports to an anonymous interrogator, without knowing whether the interrogator reads the reports or not; these reports constitute the novel.