Greek Studies Now: A year In review

[Dimitris Papanikolaou]

The team behind Greek Studies Now (GSN) would like to wish you a happy and productive 2026.

It was a year of regrouping for us; highlights included a two-day colloquium in May, and our first “Cultural Analysis Seminars” in the island of Anafi in June.

As in previous years, the vibrant hub of our network, our website’s blog, hosted short descriptions and/or opinion pieces mapping the fascinating work currently happening in Greek Studies in conversation with the practice of ‘cultural analysis’.

The year ended with a bang: Gregory Jusdanis’s publication of a short account of Cavafy’s hospital days in Athens, found in the Dutch archives of G.H. Blanken and shared with Gregory during his visit at the University of Amsterdam. An archival gem, which you can read here.

Alongside this text, in our main blog section, we published 

• an agenda setting piece on how to approach the Greko Community of Calabria, by Claudio Russello.
• the fascinating account of how the Greek-Australian community was divided during the 2024 referendum on Aboriginal rights, by Daphne Arapakis 
• a masterful reading of Angelo Surmelis’s novel The Dangerous Art of Blending In, by Theodora Patrona
• a creative response to Soloup’s Aivali, by Olivia Scarr
•  and short reflections on the art of Mario Banushi and on Dionysis Savvopoulos, by Dimitris Papanikolaou.

As for those who think that everything that could be said about a poem like Cavafy’s “Κίμων Λεάρχου” has been said, read Billie Mitsikakos’s heterodox take on it. Instead of reading an account of jealousy, or erotic antagonism, Mitsikakos reads the story of Marylos, Kimon and Hermoteles as one of sociosexual belonging beyond the couple. A queer tale of deep affect, radical desire and undivided love.

In the Book-Self section of our website, we published some equally exciting pieces, in which authors of recently published monographs reflected on their work. You can thus read

Will Stroebel Will Stroebel on his Literature’s Refuge

Bathriye Kemal Bathriye Kemal on Writing Cyprus

Maria Boletsi Maria Boletsi on Cavafy’s Specters

Dimitris Plantzos Dimitris Plantzos on Athens Demapped

Georgios Giannakopoulos on The Interpreters

Helena Gonzáles Vaquerizo on La Grecia que duele

and, last but not least, Gregory Jusdanis on Cavafy: A New Biography, written with Peter Jefrreys.

The team is indebted to Claudio Russello, our organizing editor, without whom none of this would have happened. Please get in contact with Claudio through the links provided on our website if you want to publish on our platforms or join our newsletter.

This was a tough, intense year; but also an immensely productive one. It was, most importantly, a year when we were once again reminded of our version of Savvopoulos’s verse: “φτιάχνουν οι Έλληνες … παρέες”. With particular emphasis on the last word and a very fluid and open idea of what could constitute “έλληνες".

For this reason, we celebrate the beginning of the new year with a painting by Maya Simatos-Boletsi (who was born the days we were starting this network six years ago), and our eyes on lovely Valentina Casado Gedgaudaite, who saw the light of day on the 29th of December 2025.

To 2026 !

Greek Studies Now