Contemporary Greek Authors and Poets to Read Now

Awarded the National Literary Award for best new writer in 2012, Thomas Tsalapatis is a Greek poet with an exciting reputation. His work was included in the international anthology Austerity Measures: The New Greek Poetry (ed. Karen Van Dyck), and he has also published a Greek translation of W. B. Yeats’ work. You can read more of Tsalapatis’ work on his website.

Akis Papantonis was awarded the Anagnostis 2015 First Book Award for Karyotype, a novella about a molecular biologist who leaves Athens for Oxford to work on a new research project. The story focuses on the themes of family and identity. These are included within a clever structure that references DNA formations, reflecting the protagonist’s interests. Papantonis is also managing editor of Intellectum magazine, and lectures at the University of Cologne.

Danae Sioziou is a writer and poet based in Athens. She works as an English language teacher in Athens, has been published in international journals and was also included in the Greek poetry anthology Austerity Measures. Watch a live recording of her work below, or read more of her poetry online.

Phoebe Giannisi is a trained architect and a member of the Urban Void architecture group in Greece. Her impressive background extends to the literary sphere, too. She has published six books of poetry: Sea Urchins (1995), Ramazan (1997), Loops, (2005) Homerica ( 2009), Cicada (2013) and Rapsody (2015). Alongside these poetic works, Giannisi also writes on ancient Greek poetry and translates international poets into Greek. Find out more about her work on her website.

Elena Penga is a Greek playwright and writer. Her work of short fiction, Tight Belts and Other Skin, won the Greek Academy Prize in 2012, and her plays have been produced by the National Theatre of Greece and the Athens Festival, among other places. Her prose is lyrical and vivid, her command of dialogue punchy and compelling. You can read her work online.

Nikos Mandis is an exciting contemporary Greek author and translator who has published four acclaimed novels. Most recently published is The Blind Ones, a 600-page novel that chronicles the layered nature of Athens, and the way that individuals live within it. Mandis has been nominated for the Greek State Literary Award for Best Novel.

A renowned Art Historian and academic, Angela Dimitrakaki is Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Art History and Theory at the University of Edinburgh. She is also a respected writer who has published works including Antarktiki, Antisea, The Manifesto of Defeat, Inside a Girl Like You and AEROPLAST. In December 2017, Dimitrakaki was awarded the Academy of Athens Literary Award for her most recent work, Four Testimonies on the Exhumation of River Errinyos.