Book Launch: Athens Tales - Athens in Literature and Song, at the Hellenic Centre

Join the book launch and discussion of Athens Tales, an anthology of one hundred and fifty years of Greek short fiction about Athens, compiled and translated into English by Joshua Barley. The evening will include an illustrated presentation of the book by the translator, and an accompanying performance of Athenian songs by mezzo-soprano Alexandra Achillea. 

This is the main UK launch of Athens Tales, recently published by Oxford University Press. The book is an anthology of the last one hundred and fifty years of Greek short fiction about Athens, comprising eighteen authors from representative periods of the city’s modern history. There are stories of war and migration, love stories and other vignettes of Athenian life, through which the reader traces the multiple transformations of the Greek capital. With each author bringing their own perspective as well as style, the anthology is both an introduction to modern Greek literature as well as a portrait of Athens through its writers.

At this event, the book’s creator and translator, Joshua Barley, will give an illustrated talk weaving together some of the anthology’s lesser-known authors with the modern history of the city. He will be joined by special guests including the singer Alexandra Achillea, who will perform a selection of twentieth-century Athenian songs with piano accompaniment. 

Pricing

• General Admission: £5.00 + £0.50 fee
• Concession: £4.00 + £0.46 fee
• Members: Free