The Small World, the Great! – A Tribute to the Poet Odysseus Elytis with music by George Couroupos
The bold, lyrical work of Odysseus Elytis (1911–96) is brought to life in readings and song, with live music by one of the most outstanding living Greek composers, George Couroupos, written to accompany a new multilingual anthology of Elytis’s poetry and prose (Ikaros, 2016) and performed live.
The translators who worked on this anthology and will read from Elytis’ work are: David Connolly (UK), Paola Maria Minucci (Italy), Beatrice Stelio Connolly (France) and Nina Angelides (Spain). After the reading, a discussion will follow with David Connolly, Ioulita Iliopoulou (poet), George Kouroupos (music composer) and Katerina Karidi (Ikaros publishing house). Titos Gouvelis (pianist) and Maira Milolidaki (soprano) will perform live music, composed by George Kouroupos and based on Elytis’s poems.
About David Connolly
David Connolly was born in Sheffield, England, and is of Irish descent. He studied Ancient Greek at the University of Lancaster, Medieval and Modern Greek Literature at Trinity College, Oxford, and received his doctoral degree for a thesis on the theory and practice of Literary Translation from the University of East Anglia. A naturalised Greek, he has lived and worked in Greece since 1979, and has taught translation at undergraduate and post-graduate level for many years at a number of university institutions in Greece. His last position before retiring was as Professor of Translation Studies at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He has written extensively on the theory and practice of literary translation and on Greek Literature in general, and has published over forty books of translations featuring works by major Greek poets and novelists. His translations have received awards in Greece, the UK and the USA.
The event is open to the public.
| When | Thursday 9 November 2017, 19.00 |
| Where | Institut Français d'Athènes (Auditorium) 31 Sina Street 106 80 Athens |
| www.facebook.com/events/332862373848933 |
Under the auspices of EUNIC and in partnership with the British Council, the Instituto Cervantes de Atenas, the Institut Français de Grèce, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Atene and Ikaros Publishing House.
Open Reading – Fiction Writing Group
We’re delighted to announce that we’re organising an open reading for last year’s fiction writing group to mark the beginning of our sixth round of meetings taking place in 2017–18. Former participants will have the opportunity to read from their own work and showcase the progress they have made.
The event is open to everyone with an interest in writing.
Vangelis Provias, writer and fiction writing group moderator, will co-ordinate the event.
| When | Wednesday 18 October 2017, 18.30 |
| Where | Lexikopoleio 13 Stasinou Street Pagrati 116 35 Athens |
| Telephone | 210 723 1201 |
Open Reading – Fiction Writing Group
To mark the completion of our fourth fiction writing group’s meetings and the start of the fifth round of meetings, we’re organising an open reading, where participants will have the opportunity to read from their own work.
Last year’s participants will read extracts from their work and Vangelis Provias will introduce the writers and professionals who will be joining us this year.
The event is open to everyone with an interest in writing.
| When | Wednesday 5 October 2016, 18.30 |
| Where | Lexikopoleio 13 Stasinou Street Pagrati 116 35 Athens |
| Telephone | 210 723 1201 |
Literary Saturday Mornings
On the occasion of our International Creative Writing Summer School in collaboration with Kingston University and the Kingston Writing School and the presence of a group of distinguished British writers and creative writing experts in Athens and Thessaloniki, we’re delighted to invite you to a series of events on contemporary British literary output through readings and discussions taking place in both cities on the first three Saturdays in June.
The events will be held on 4, 11 and 18 June 2016 and are open to the public:
| Athens | Thessaloniki |
| Vivliocafe Enastron 101 Solonos street 106 78 Athens |
British Council 43 Tsimiski Street (4th floor) 546 23 Thessaloniki |
| 4 June 2016, 10.30 Meet authors Brian Cathcart, Julia Stuart and Katherine Orr |
4 June 2016, 11.00 Meet author Howard Cunnell: Fathers & Sons – A Memoir |
| 11 June 2016, 10.30 Meet authors Adam Baron, Sam Jordison and Heidi James |
11 June 2016, 11.00 Meet Judith Watts: Creative writing and publishing |
| 18 June 2016, 10.30 Meet author Ed Docx, and editor and publisher Vicky Blunden |
18 June 2016, 12.00 Meet Maurice Walsh: Foreign press correspondents and non-fiction writing Bitter Freedom: Ireland in a Revolutionary World 1918–1923 |
Open Reading – Poetry Writing Group
Participants in our Poetry Writing Group – hosted at the British Council in Athens for the fourth consecutive year – will read from their work. Poet Panayiotis Ioannidis will co-ordinate the poetry reading. Feel free to join us!
| When | Monday 16 May 2016, 19.30 |
| Where | Lemoni Bookshop 22 Irakleidon Street Thissio 118 51 Athens |
| Telephone | 210 345 1390 |
| www.facebook.com/events/1004809642941645 |
Open Reading – Fiction Writing Group
In celebration of the completion of our third fiction writing group’s meetings and the start of the fourth round of meetings, we’re organising an open reading, where participants will have the opportunity to read from their own work.
Last year’s participants will read extracts from their work and Vangelis Provias will announce the writers and professionals who will be joining us this year.
The event is open to everyone with an interest in writing.
| When | Wednesday 14 October 2015, 18.30 |
| Where | Lexikopoleio 13 Stasinou Street Pagrati 116 35 Athens |
| Telephone | 210 723 1201 |
Book Presentation – Bitter Freedom: Ireland in a Revolutionary World 1918–1923
Renowned writer Maurice Walsh will present his book Bitter Freedom: Ireland in a Revolutionary World 1918-1923 for the first time Greece. Bitter Freedom is a new history of the Irish Revolution, placing Ireland in the global disorder born of the terrible slaughter of total war, and providing a kaleidoscopic portrait of the human face of the conflict. Maurice Walsh will be in conversation with journalist Marilena Astrapellou.
| When | Friday 12 June 2015, 19.30 |
| Where | Lexikopoleio 13 Stasinou Street Pagrati 116 35 Athens |
| Telephone | 210 723 1201 |
| www.facebook.com/events/938685339527028 |
Open Reading – Poetry Writing Group
The members of the Poetry Writing Group hosted at the British Council, Athens, will be reading from their work for the third consecutive season. Feel free to join us!
| When | Monday 20 April 2015, 19.30 |
| Where | Lexikopoleio 13 Stasinou Street Pagrati 116 35 Athens |
| Telephone | 210 723 1201 |
| www.facebook.com/events/651941104939025 |
An Evening with Vangelis Provias
Vangelis Provias, Greek short story writer and Fiction Writing Group Co-ordinator at the British Council Greece, will read from his debut collection The Black Shoes for the School Marching Parade. Vangelis wrote some of the stories in the collection as a participant on the first annual Kingston Writing School and British Council Athens International Creative Writing Summer School in 2013.
| When | Wednesday 19 November 2014, 18.30–20.30 |
| Where | John Galsworthy building (Room JG0003) Kingston University Penrhyn Road Campus Penrhyn Road Kingston upon Thames Surrey KT1 2EE |
| Information | www.kingston.ac.uk/events/item/1176/19-nov-2014-an-evening-with-vangelis-provias-and-priscilla-morris |
Open Reading – Fiction Writing Group
In celebration of the completion of our second fiction writing group’s meetings and the start of the third round of meetings, we’re organising an open reading, where participants will have the opportunity to read from their own work.
We will be joined by writers Christos Aggelakos and Aris Davarakis, as well as translator and editor at Psichogios Publications, Evdoxia Binopoulou, who will share their thoughts and views with us.
The event is open to everyone with an interest in writing.
Vangelis Provias will co-ordinate the event.
| When | Friday 10 October 2014, 19.00 |
| Where | Lexikopoleio 13 Stasinou Street Pagrati 116 35 Athens |
Poetry and Fiction Writing Groups 2014–15
We’re delighted to invite you to join our new Writing Groups (Poetry and Fiction), which we are running for the third consecutive year. The writing groups will start from mid-October and workshops will be held at our Athens office. Our Poetry and Fiction Writing Groups are part of our broader creative writing programme organised in partnership with the Kingston Writing School of Kingston University London.
The writing groups are open to young and more experienced writers who want to share their skills and ideas, receive constructive feedback and discuss their work with like-minded peers, exchange views and listen to experienced and well-established writers and people from the book industry in the UK and Greece.
The working language is Greek but participants should also be able to work in English, especially for sessions via Skype (with professors from Kingston University) or other activities that may arise.
To apply, please complete the application form (MS Word, 42 KB) and email it to Maria Papaioannou by 26 September 2014.
Please note that places are limited to a maximum of 12 participants.
Book Presentation – C. P. Cavafy: Selected Poems
On the occasion of the recent publication of the bilingual edition of C. P. Cavafy: Selected poems, translated by David Connolly (Αiora Publications), we’re delighted to invite you to the presentation of the book.
David Connolly and Stratis Haviaras, writer-translator, will also talk about Modern Greek literature abroad. Cavafy’s poems will be read by the translator David Connolly (in English) and the actor Constantine Tzoumas (in Greek).
| When | Wednesday 25 June 2014, 19.30 |
| Where | The Athens Centre 48 Archimedous Street 116 36 Athens |
| www.facebook.com/events/591908634257731 |
Open Reading – Poetry Writing Group
On the occasion of the completion of the second round of our poetry writing group’s meetings, we’re organising an open reading at Lemoni Bookshop, where participants will have the opportunity to read from their work. Everybody is welcome to join us!
| When | Monday 26 May 2014, 19.00 |
| Where | Lemoni Bookshop 22 Irakleidon Street Thissio 118 51 Athens |
| www.facebook.com/events/295719963925880 |
Open Reading – Fiction Writing Group
Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate the completion of our first fiction writing group’s meetings and the start of the second round of meetings with an open reading of our students’ work.
We’ll also be joined by a number of guest speakers and writers.
Everybody is welcome!
| When | Wednesday 2 October 2013, 18.00 |
| Where | Lexikopoleio 13 Stasinou Street Pagrati 116 35 Athens |
| www.facebook.com/events/627871257234637 |
Poetry and Fiction Writing Groups 2013–14
Following the success of our first Athens International Creative Writing Summer School organised in partnership with Kingston University, London last June and July, we’re delighted to invite you to take part in our Writing groups (Poetry and Fiction), which we are running for the second successive year. The writing groups start in October 2013 and will take place at our Athens office.
The writing groups are open to everyone with a passion for writing who wants to share ideas, receive feedback and discuss their work with like-minded peers, find out more about new writing techniques and listen to experienced and well-established writers talking about what it means to be a writer in Greece and Europe in 2013.
How to apply
To apply, please complete the application form (MS Word, 43 KB) and email it to Maria Papaioannou by 25 September 2013.
Please note that places are limited.
Information
For further information, please contact Maria Papaioannou:
| Maria.Papaioannou@britishcouncil.gr | |
| Telephone | +30 210 369 2336 |
In collaboration with the Kingston Writing School, the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Athens and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and the National Book Centre.