Greek – Australian writers to be showcased next month at Greek Festival of Sydney

The 40th Greek Festival of Sydney is devoting a day to presentations of recently-published books in English by Greek-Australian writers in collaboration with UTS Journalism and Writing.

Although very different in style and content, all the books are united by common themes of migration, displacement and identity.

Several acclaimed Greek Australian writers will participate; the list includes Nina Angelo, Andrew Pippos, Casi Plate, Peter Papathanasiou, George Paxinos, among others.

The event will be held at the prestigious Prince Henry Centre which was previously established as the Prince Henry Hospital in 1881 in response to a smallpox outbreak and became NSW’s first hospital for infectious diseases. It closed in 2003. There are many spaces to sit and ponder on the site. There will be water, coffee and food available and books to buy and have signed.

The sessions will run for 45 minutes including questions from the audience. Books will be on sale and authors available for signings.

The Schedule

PETER PRINEAS | WILD COLONIAL GREEKS at 10:00 – 10:45 am

Wild Colonial Greeks opens up a relatively unexplored period of Greek migration by chronicling those who first landed here during colonial times. From the doctor working in the goldfields, the hotelier fighting temperance laws, the man sent to Van Diemen’s land for robbing the British Museum, to encounters with Indigenous people. Peter will be interviewed by writer Jorge Sotirios, author of Graffiti Over Marble: A Portrait of Greece in Crisis and Lonesome George C’est Moi!

NINA ANGELO | DON’T CRY, DANCE at 11:am – 11:45 am

“My mother, a Polish Ashkenazy Jewish girl, and my father, a Greek Sephardic Jewish man, would never have met if they hadn’t both experienced the attempted extermination of their race at Auschwitz and Mauthausen. […] They knew and taught me that we cannot move on without forgiveness.” Nina’s memoir celebrates her mother Janka and father Alberto – their survival and love story as well as their new beginning in Sydney. Nina is a community artist and will discuss Don’t Cry, Dance with Dr Alfred Vincent. Alfred taught Modern Greek Studies at the University of Sydney and in retirement continues to research and write on Modern Greek topics.

CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION PUBLICATION LAUNCH at 12.00 -12:45 pm

In Children of the Revolution, Greek-Australian academics, writers, poets, artists and photographers re-imagine and re-interpret ideas of identity and place and what it means to be Greek in the diaspora. This publication introduces a diverse range of voices with new knowledge on the second and third generational diasporic experience. Published by O Kosmos newspaper this is an example of transitioning media championing diversity of storytelling. Contributors include George Megalogenis, Andrew Pippos, Effy Alexakis, Tony Maniaty, Katerina Cosgrove, Koraly Dimitriadis, Chantal Contouri and many others. The first publication in this series won the 2020 NSW Premier’s Multicultural Media Award. This is the second in the series, and is edited by Dr Helen Vatsikopoulos, a journalist and lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney. The launch will include a poetry reading by Koraly Dimitriadis and discussion with some of the contributors.

ANDREW PIPPOS | LUCKY’S at 1.00-1:45 pm

Andrew Pippos’ debut novel Lucky’s was shortlisted for Australia’s most prestigious awards: the Miles Franklin and the Prime Minister’s Literary Prize. He is a lecturer in creative writing at UTS. A former journalist, his essays and short stories have appeared in many publications. Lucky’s celebrates Greek café culture from the 30s to the present day in a multigenerational family saga with love at its heart. Lucky’s began as a Doctorate of Creative Arts at UTS and Andrew will be interviewed by his doctoral supervisor Associate Professor Tony Macris. Tony is the author of many books including When Horse Became Saw, Capital, Great Western Highway, Aftershocks and Inexperience.

CASSI PLATE | MONSTER AND COLOSSUS at 2.00 – 2:45 pm

Costas Taktsis, one of Greece’s most important post-war writers, wrote his famous novel The Third Wedding largely in Australia. One of his closest friends was the Australian painter and gallerist Carl Plate. Monster and Colossus is a narrative based on letters between Taktsis and his Australian friends Carl and Jocelyn, by their daughter Cassi. Professor Vrasidas Karalis, will interview the her and will examine the nexus between writing and painting in the era of post-war modernity and cosmopolitanism. Vrasidas Karalis is the author of many books including The Glebe Point Road Blues, The Demons of Athens, The Cinematic Language of Theo Angelopoulos and The Recollections of Mr Manoly Lascaris.

PETER PAPATHANASIOU | THE STONING at 3.00 – 3:45pm

This is the Sydney launch of The Stoning, biologist Peter Papathanasiou’s debut crime novel. A work of outback noir, it begins with the discovery of the stoning of a woman. Enter George Manolis, a Greek-Australian detective sent to solve the murder. The novel has enjoyed oustanding reviews here and overseas. Set in a fictitious outback town with an immigration detention centre, it explores the issues surrounding Australia’s immigration policies and racism. Peter has worked at ANU, Stanford, New York University and Imperial College London. His first book, the memoir Little One(2019), is being adapted to the screen and so is the Stoning. The novel has been nominated for literary awards both here and in the UK including the Crime Writer’s Association prestigious Gold Dagger and New Blood Dagger. He will discuss these and more with the Writer’s Festival director, Dr Helen Vatsikopoulos.

GEORGE PAXINOS / A RIVER DIVIDED at 4.00 – 4:45 pm

Internationally renowned scientist Professor George Paxinos is an environmental activist and his eco-fiction debut novel explores the battle between humans and nature that threatens our planet’s survival. George has published 57 scientific books including the most cited work in neuroscience and third most cited in all the sciences, and has worked at the world’s top universities including Cambridge, Oxford, Stanford, UCLA and UNSW. When a two thousand year old ossuary containing a crucified man’s bones is found near Masada, his DNA is cloned to produce two men who grow up on opposite sides of the world and clash in the Amazon on opposite sides of the climate change debate. Nature or nurture? Do we need a Messiah to save the planet? George will be interviewed by editor Kiriaki Orfanos.

When: Sunday 12 June 2022, 10am-5pm

Where: Prince Henry Centre, 2 Coast Hospital Rd, Little Bay

Bookings and information: Free event, registrations necessary, for more visit greekfestivalofsydney.com.au

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