Greek HISTORY in Greek FICTION

Two remarkable Greek authors, Amanda Michalopoulou and Sophia Nikolaidou, discuss the representation and interpretation of Greece's difficult past in contemporary Greek literature. 

The suffering of people in Greece during the German occupation in WWII, the civil war, the colonels’ dictatorship, and the now contested period of restoration of democracy with its two-party system that led to the current break down in the economy and cultural values are some of the themes touched upon in the work of the two authors who have both recently been translated into English.

The discussion is moderated by Patricia Felisa Barbeito, an excellent scholar of Modern Greek literature, who has translated several works of contemporary Greek fiction, among them works by Amanda Michalopoulou.

Welcome to an exiting panel discussion about the relationship between history and art in one of the most exiting European countries today. 

 
AMANDA MICHALOPOULOU is the author of seven novels and three short story collections. One of Greece's leading contemporary writers, Michalopoulou was twice short-listed for the Greek State Prize for Fiction and won the country's highest literary awards, including the Diavazo Award (1996) and the Prize of Athens Academy (2013). Her works have been translated into thirteen languages. Her short-story collection "I'd Like" won the International Literature Prize by NEA in the US and the Liberis Liber Prize of the Independent Catalan Publishers. "Why I Killed My Best Friend", her most recent novel in translation, was shortlisted for the National Translation Award in the US.

SOPHIA NIKOLAIDOU has published two collections of short stories and four novels, all of which have been translated into eight languages. One of modern Greece’s most significant young novelists, has also published a non fiction novel, studies on creative writing and on the use of ICT in education and translated ancient Greek drama into Modern Greek. Her last novel, Tonight We Have No Friends, won the 2011 Athens Prize for Literature, and The Scapegoat was shortlisted for the 2012 Greek State Prize for Fiction.