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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute Fellowships, 1997-98 National Endowment for the Humanities Post-doctoral Fellowship. One or more fellowships with a stipend up to $30,000 for the 1997-98 academic year. Applications are solicited for study in any field of humanistic research requiring residence in Cyprus. Open to any U.S. citizen (or alien resident in U.S. for the last three years) holding a Ph.D. degree as of January 1, 1997. Application deadline: January 15, 1997.
The Anita Cecil O'Donovan Fellowship. One fellowship of up to $1,000 will be available for a 1 to 3 month period to assist in partial payment of essential expenses for an under/graduate student to conduct research in Cyprus. Residence at CAARI is mandatory. Application deadline: February 1, 1997.
The Charles U. and Janet C. Harris Fellowship. One fellowship to support participation in any phase or aspect of a project in Cyprus which has been approved by the Committee on Archaeological Policy of the American Schools of Oriental Research. Stipend of $1,500 for a period of 1 to 3 months. Open to scholars of any nationality. Application deadline: February 1, 1997.
Honorary Appointments: No stipend. Open to senior fellows, postdoctoral fellows, research fellows and scholars. For information contact: American Schools of Oriental Research 656 Beacon Street, Fifth Floor Boston University Boston, MA 02215-2010 phone 617/353-6570 fax 617/353-6575 email ASOR@BU.EDU
**** "GREECE IN PRINT - 1996" BOOK EXHIBIT ****
On September 21 and 22 the Hellenic Literature Society and the Hellenic American Educators Association presented a large exhibit of Greek books in New York City. The goal of this exhibit was the promotion of Greek subject matter books, as well as the promotion of books written by Greek authors to the American public. With the support of various Greek-American organizations such as the Foundation for Hellenic Culture, The A.S. Onassis Center for Hellenic Studies, the Center of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies of Queens College, the Greek-American Women's Network, the Pan-Macedonian Association, as well as the companies Cosmos Publishing and Pella Publishing, the exhibit presented more than 1,500 books in English and in Greek. The success of this exhibit was, by far, beyond the expectations of the organizers. More than 1,800 persons visited the book exhibit and the thirteen lectures and workshops of Greek literature, history, and culture. All the speakers, especially the Americans, expressed their satisfaction not only for the very large audience, but also for the interest shown by the public during the lectures and the productive exchange of ideas. 117 publishers from the USA, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Greece and Cyprus participate in "Greece In Print." They exhibited books representing every aspect of Greek literature: art, history, classical, Greek-American and modern Greek studies, literature, philosophy, poetry, religion, textbooks, children's books, travel, language etc. In addition Ms. Despina Tsiouri exhibited a private collection of Greek traditional costumes, and members of the Jewish community of New York presented a photographic exhibit and a motion picture about the Jewish communities in Greece. Last but not least, all the participants - organizers, speakers, and visitors - were very pleasantly surprised by the Greek cooking demonstration of Agrotikon and Periyali restaurants, the Greek estate wines presented by Athenee Importers and Distributors Ltd, and the Greek koulourakia from Athens Cafe. The enthusiastic welcome and response of the Greek-American and the American communities is the best guarantee that the book exhibit "Greece In Print" will become a permanent annual cultural event and the means to promote Greek literature in New York. The executive committee of the Hellenic Literature Society has already started preparations for a larger and better 'Greece In Print" in 1997. Everybody is welcome to participate in this event of national importance to Greece and to the Greek Diaspora. To personally volunteer or to contribute financially please call 201-666-7374; fax 201-664-3402; e-mail: GreekBooks@worldnet.att.net The Hellenic Literature society is a non-profit organization managed entirely by volunteers.
**** MODERN GREEK LANGUAGE ****
The A. S. Onassis Center for Hellenic Studies at New York University is pleased to announce evening classes in modern Greek language and culture starting on Thursday, October 10, 1996 at the Center located on 58 West 10th Street, New York City. Limited enrollment. For more information and registration please call: 212-998-3994.
BOOK REVIEW
Reviewed by Gerasimos Augustinos - Department of History, University of South Carolina (reprinted by permission of the Journal of the Hellenic Diaspora)
By now it is absolutely clear that the early post-Cold War years have been by far from easy for the states in the Balkans. Domestic issues and foreign affairs have been difficult and, in the case of Yugoslavia , devastating for the governments in the region. For Greece, a supposed winner in the bipolar standoff in Europe, these have been frustrating times as well. Thanos, Veremis, director of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy, delineates the course of Greece's foreign policy involving the Balkans and relations with European and Atlantic powers. The first two chapters of this short volume survey Greece's position and role in the Balkans from the late nineteenth century to the end of the Cold War. The next two chapters deal with Greek perceptions and reactions to recent developments in the Balkans through the prism of security interests and historically grounded identity. Veremis then proceeds to delve into the development of Greek nationalism. Three related issues are woven into his account. Two thematic strands deal with the practical side to foreign affairs: the limits and possibilities of Greek foreign policy as shaped by historical conditions and the diplomatic options or mechanisms available to Greece in implementing policy. The third strand, inextricable from the other two, is the formative and formidable presence of collective identity expressed as cultural values. Entanglement connotes complication or enmeshing, and for much of the past century the Balkans appear in that guise in Veremis's account. As he describes it, two constants have underlain and determined the course of Greek foreign policy relative to Balkan entanglements. First, the great powers have influenced the ability of Greece, and all the neighboring states for that matter, to create an effective - that is, self-generated and beneficial to the country's interests - foreign policy. Second, interstate relations in the Balkans have been in a state of constant fluidity as countries have formed competing, but also changing, alliances while focusing their interest on the geographic core of the peninsula - Macedonia. Implied in these two issues is the unremitting importance of space (geostrategic position and territorial interests) that underlies much of the diplomacy of the activist states in the region for nearly a century. The ethnic complexity and strategic location of Macedonia have made the Balkans not a "powder keg" but a "threshing floor" in Veremi's words. He thus conjures an image of the Balkans as a place where small powers have aggressively competed for territory and where cultures have ground against each other. But was the ethnic, irredentist nationalism that resulted from these conditions the "endowment" of "collapsing empires"? Or was it the conscious creation of political elite in the successor states bent on making their nations "modern," that is, culturally integrated, unitary political structures? At the end of the First World War, the empires that had controlled the heart of Europe either disappeared or were in the throes of redefinition; therefore, their role was diminished. On the other hand, the idea of the nation state had triumphed in eastern Europe. The price for this achievement, however, was a congeries of small states seeking stability in a world where national frontiers remained contested. For the next seven decades from the interwar era to the end of the Cold War, Greece sought stability within and without its borders. Veremis sketches the foreign policy options available, multilateralism and bilateralism, and indicates their limitations. Greece's ability to carve out an "autonomous" foreign policy depended on both the interests of the major European powers and the dynamics of national interests among the Balkan states. The bipolar world and contending blocs during the Cold War clearly limited Greece's foreign policy possibilities. Since the country was bound to one bloc, there is little to be made of the idea that Greece could play the "interlocutor among camps" even when detante developed in the 1970s. What the Cold War standoff did was allow the states in the Balkans to promote contacts, bilateral and multilateral, that encouraged mutually beneficial regime stability and territorial integrity. But in the last two decades of the Cold War, economic difficulties plagued states in both blocs, domestic political divisiveness grew, and Western-supported international organizations were more visibly concerned with individual and group rights. All this spelled serious trouble for state stability in the Balkans. The instability that developed after the Soviet Union and the communist regimes in eastern Europe collapsed in the early 1990s takes up much of the rest of the book and greatly concerns Veremis. Two complementary trends have become problematic in the Balkans. First, the states in the region have looked to greater linkage with western Europe, which itself is undergoing a process of integration. They are emphasizing linkages to organizations and states outside the region over intraregional cooperation. Second, within the states in southern Europe ethnic issues have triggered nationalist politics, ironically given incentive in part by the West's interest in the transformation of eastern Europe into politically pluralist, market societies. At the heart of this Balkan entanglement, the key concern is what Veremis terms the "Macedonian swamp." Perhaps a better term for what a century ago was called the Macedonian question is the Macedonian muddle. At least it has become so for Greece. In dealing with the problem, Veremis is concerned with three matters. First, there is the forgetfulness of the West regarding the now troublesome, but no longer strategically important, Balkans to contend with. The corollary to this has been the unsympathetic and even hostile reaction of Westerners to Greece's concerns on this issue. Second, Veremis offers a critique and criticism of Greek domestic politics and their relation to the Macedonian issue. To argue that the issue has been used by individuals for personal political interests is only to recognize a feature common to politics in many countries. That this has been deleterious to Greece's national interests goes without saying. Third, Veremis notes the various foreign policy gambits Greece has tried, with little success, in the last few years to deal with the Macedonian muddle. Macedonia has been Greece's burden in the Balkans, and various foreign-policy scenarios have yielded less than satisfactory results. Using a multilateral approach by relying on the European Union or turning to the United Nations as Yugoslavia disintegrated garnered Greece little support and only a temporizing and unsatisfactory response to its concerns about security and stability in the Balkans linked to the Macedonian issue. Greece then tried a bilateral gambit, unilaterally imposing an embargo on the former Yugoslav republic in February 1994. But this only brought international reproach. Finally, there was the wager on the strong, that is, looking to the United States to deal with the Balkan muddle. This, at least, has led to negotiations between Athens and Skopje. But Veremis voices concern that Greece's place in U.S. thinking about the region has shifted to its disadvantage. The incident over the isles of Imia no doubt has strengthened this perception among many Greeks. Finally we come to the nub of the problem. Greece's "Balkan entanglement" is a matter of culture and power. The author touches on this in his discussion of the vagaries of nationalism in Greece. Turning back to the nineteenth century, he notes that Greece's father of national history, Konstantinos Paparrigopoulos, emphasized culture as the embodiment of national identity. Veremis then describes how the historically grounded culture turned inward and narrowed after the destruction of the Ionian vision and became even less open during the Cold War. But the author overemphasized the singular, narrow path of Greek nationalism. There is a broader vision, which intellectuals in the twentieth century such as Seferis, Theotokas, and Cavafy have elaborated. The real issue for culturally inscribed nationalism, however, is the temporal dimension. Paparrigopoulos and his epigones, whose ideas were reinforced and popularized by state-directed education, perceived Greek identity diachronically. Implied in the author's remarks on recent developments in the Balkans is a lament that his fellow citizens have been too slow to understand that other's culturally based perceptions of Greece have changed and, therefore, the power balance for the country has shifted as well. Belatedly, Greeks have recognized the need to take a synchronic approach to seeing themselves. But one cannot chide the West for abetting Greece in binding itself to a unidimensional self-image against its self-interest during the past several decades. Greeks must now recognize the multidimensional aspects to their culture, a legacy of their past, as they define national foreign policy for the future. This book is a thoughtful account of the interconnectedness of foreign policy and national identity. It should be welcomed by Greeks as well as others.
NEW PUBLICATIONS
GREEK PHILOSOPHY THALES TO ARISTOTLE, edited by Reginald E. Allen Third edition revised and expanded. Widely praised for its accessibility and its concentration on the metaphysical issues that are most central to the history of Greek philosophy, this book offers a valuable introduction to the works of the Presocratics, Plato, and Aristotle. For the third edition, Professor Allen has provided new translations of Socrates' speech in the "Symposium" and of the first five chapters of Aristotle's "Categories," as well as new selections bearing on Aristotle's "Theory of Infinity, Continuity, and Discreteness." The book also contains a general introduction which sets forth Professor Allen's distinctive and now widely accepted interpretation of the development of Greek philosophy and science, along with selective bibliography, and lists of suggested readings. 446 pages, 5.2x8.2 inches, Paper
MASS AND ELITE IN DEMOCRATIC ATHENS, by Josiah Ober Ober not only provides a detailed account of the political institutions and practices of democratic Athens, but from the available evidence - often to be sure incomplete and uncertain - he develops a highly plausible interpretation of the relations of citizens and elites. His analysis of eloquence and persuasion as the most important aspects of Athenian democracy is stimulating, well argued, and bristles with good observations. Ober's book will be of value and interest to everyone interested in democratic theory and practice. 390 pages, 6.1x9.2 inches, paper
TRICKSTER IN THE LAND OF DREAMS, by Zeese Papanikolas This book is a study of the themes of technological innovation and utopianism that have been embedded in the mythologies of the American West from the Stone Age to the present day. There are some subthemes running through most of these chapters. Gambling is one of them, and illusion, and the primeval theme of the Quest. And dancing through all of these pages is the figure of the Trickster, from his Native American embodiment as Coyote, to P.T. Barnum. The author forges seemingly disparate events and movements in western history into a coherent whole by examining them against the laughter and wisdom od Shoshonean trickster tales. 184 pages, 6.3x9.2 inches, Cloth
**** GREEK ****
TO KATHARO XADI, tns Katerivas Zarokwsta Tolmnro stn thematikn tou, athwo stov tropo afngnsns, "To katharo xadi" stnrizetai se mia prwtotupn istoria pou avaferetai sto prwimo erwtiko ksupvnma tns evdekaxrovns Artemns. Moirasmevn metaksu tou Niknforou, evos omorfou agoriou pou apo ta bouva tns idiaiterns patridas tou brethnke salpigktns sto stratopedo tns Neas Kuzikou, kai tou ksaderfou tns Pari, duo fores orfavemevou kai thewroumenou trelou apo to xwrio, n Artemn, otav geutei to erwtiko xadi apo tov prwto dev tha distasei va prosferei tnv empeiria tns stov deutero me olethria apotelesmata. Tolmnrotns tns athwotntas pou oi gurw apo ta vera auta proswpa dev mporouv va dextouv; opws isws kai o avagvwstns, av n idia n afngnsn, akolouthwvtas se megalo meros mia ekswterikn astiasn, dev parethete tis prakseis xwris tis aksiologei, pragma pou epitrepei tnv tautoxrovn tautisn kai apostasiopoinsn tou avagvwstn apo ta tektaivomena. H afairetikn skiagrafnsn xaraktnrwv evteivei tnv apodoxn tou koivwvika avarmostou, autou pou ksefeugei apo tnv paradosiakn avtilnpsn gia tov efnbiko erwta. 176 selides, 1996
KANAL NT' AMOUR, tou Thwma Morobivn To Kaval Nt' Amour eivai o dromos tou erwta, o dromos tns amartias, alla kai o dromos twv perithwriakwv oveirwv, ekeivwv pou servouv ta bnnata tous arga mes sto skotadi, stoixeiwvovtas prwtogoves sumbaseis pou apeleutherwvouv tous ksexasmevous, ta alavia, ta retalia tns zwns, mesa ap' tis apagoreumeves sxeseis. H politeia, allote me Robespierous tou erwta, allote me ta palikarakia tou Tmnmatos Hthwv kai snmera kuriws me ta "politikal korekt" proswpeia, pou prongouvtai twv ergolabwv kai twv ependutwv, avti va sunallassetai me ta perithwria, stnvei pagera diaskedastnria kai dnthev athwa ekmaulistnria, paristavovtas to luko pou goraei poditsa kokkivoskoufitsas. Auto ekave kai me ta Ladadika stn Thessalovikn. Ki n eksidavikeusn mias loumpev erwtikns koulyouras eivai lathos. Omws xwrous sav ta palia Ladadika, ki allous maxalades, tous xreiazomaste, giati oi ksexasmevoi ki oi diaforetikoi ekei, se tetoies skepes autodiaxeirizovtai ta erwtika tous - kai oxi movo. H glwssa tou suggrafea murizei lagvo erwtismo ki authevtikn amartia. 58 selides, 1996
O MAYROS THANATOS STHN ELLADA, tou Kwsta Kwstn "Eikoves" apo tn zwn twv avthrwpwv stnv ellnvikn xersovnso me koivo parovomastn tnv pavwln, apo tov 14o mexri tis arxes tou 19ou aiwva, dnladn kata tn deutern pavdnmia tns, parousiazei s' autn tn suvarpastikn meletn tou o K. Kwstns. O suggrafeas apokwdikopoiei evav evtupwsiako arithmo xrovikwv, iatrikwv pragmateiwv, apomvnmoveumatwv kai istorikwv suggrafwv kai katalngei sto sumperasma oti: oi snmerives epistnmovikes gvwseis dev dikaiologouv tn sugkatabatikn avtimetwpisn tns agwvias twv palaiwv oute to suvaisthnma asfaleias apevavti stnv astheveia. Basikn thesn tou suggrafea eivai oti dev mporoume va katavonsoume tnv pavwln ws koivwviko faivomevo para movo av laboume upopsn mas tis kosmothewries kai tis vootropies twv avthrwpwv twv perasmevwv aiwvwv, mesa stis opoies evtassovtai toso oi apopseis tous gia tis astheveies oso kai gia ta mesa prolnpsns kai therapeias.
BEST SELLERS IN GREECE
BEST SELLERS OUTSIDE OF GREECE
GIVE TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS, TO GREEKS AND NON-GREEKS ALIKE, A GIFT THEY WILL NEVER FORGET .... A BOOK OF GREEK LITERATURE
UPCOMING EVENTS
October 2 * Toronto, Canada - CULINARY ODYSSEY OF GREECE At the Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto. Panel discussions on Greek food by famous cooks and writers:Rosemary Barron, James Chatto, Diane Kochilas, Aglaia Kremezi, Paula Wolfert. For more information e-mail June Samaras 103655,1004@compuserve.com.
October 2 * New York, NY - LECTURE The Cultural Committee of the Holy Trinity Cathedral will present a lecture on the tragedy of Smyrna featuring Christo Daphnides and Professor Dino Geanakopoulos, Yale University. The lecture will be held at the Cathedral, 337 E 74th St, at 7:30 pm. Admission is free. For further information, call 212-288-3215.
October 4 - 6 * Portland, OR - THEATER The Classic Greel Theater will present its production of Aeschylus' "The Furies" at Lincoln Hall Auditorium, Portland State University. For further information, call 503-281-8141.
October 5 * Alexandria, VA - CYPRIOT FESTIVAL Cypriot and Greek Foods, plus Cold Refreshments; Traditional Music and Folk Dancing; Cultural Exhibit; Arts and Crafts on Display and for Sale. Co-sponsored by Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities and Pancyprians of Metropolitan Washington. Saturday October 5, 1996 Rain Date: October 6 12:00 - 6:00 p.m. Market Square 301 King Street Old Town Alexandria, VA. For more inforamtion call (703) 883-4686
October 10 * Hempstead, NY - LECTURE The Solon Society Lecture Series will present Fotine Zirpiades Nicholas, a freelance writer, translator and teacher, to lecture on "The Greek Dowry; Past and Present." The talk will be held at St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 110 Cathedral Avenue, at 8 pm. Admission is free; refreshments will be served. For further information, contact the Cathedral.
October 17 * New York, NY - RECITAL The Cultural Committee of the Holy Trinity Cathedral 337 E 74th St, will present a music recital by renowned guitarist Evangelos and Liza at 7:30 pm. Admission is free. For further information, call 212-288-3215.
October 19 * New York, NY - READING The Greek-American Writer's Association presents Gail Hplst-Warhaft reading her own poems and her translations of Nikos Kavadias. The Cornelia Street Cafe, 29 Cornelia St.; 6:00 - 8:00 pm. $5.00 admission includes the first drink. Phone: 212-989-9319.
October 21 * Denver, CO - LECTURE The Hellenic-American Cultural Association of Colorado will present a lecture on "Some Aspects of Ancient Greek Religion" by Zeph Stewart, Professor Emeritus of Classics, Harvard University, Boston. The event is free and open to the public and it will be held at the Auditorium of the Hellenic Community Center of the Assumption Cathedral, 4610 East Alameda Avenue at 7:00 pm. A reception follows the program. For more information you may contact John Sofos at 970-482-7417 home, 970-491-7703 work, 970-491-0278 fax.
October 24 * Roslyn Heights, NY - LECTURE The Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church will present a lecture by brigette L. Nacos, adjunct professor of Political Science, Columbia University on "The media and American Politics." The lecture will begin at 7:30 pm at the church, 108 Warner Ave. Refreshments will be served following the talk. For further information, call 516-625-0900.
October 26 * * Denver, CO - SHOW The Hellenic-American Cultural Association of Colorado will present an audio-visual Show "Sounds and Images of an Epic." A program by the youth celebrating the 28th of October. The event is free and open to the public and it will be held at the Auditorium of the Hellenic Community Center of the Assumption Cathedral, 4610 East Alameda Avenue at 6:00 pm. A reception follows the program. For more information you may contact John Sofos at 970-482-7417 home, 970-491-7703 work, 970-491-0278 fax.
November 2 * Toronto, CANADA - PERFORMANCE The Toronto AHEPA will hold its annual Charity Ball "A Night With the Gods" on Saturday, November 2, 1996, at the Marriott Eaton Centre Grand Ballroom, 525 Bay St.. Special Feature: an excerpt performance by the cast of Aristophanes' "Clouds". The Charity Ball will be in support of Hellenic Studies - University Permanent Chair. For information call (905) 279 8631.
November 12, * Denver, CO - LECTURE The Hellenic-American Cultural Association of Colorado will present a lecture on "Alexander the Great ad His Legacy" by Emst Fredricksmeyer, Professor, Department of Classics, University of Colorado Boulder. The event is free and open to the public and it will be held at the Auditorium of the Hellenic Community Center of the Assumption Cathedral, 4610 East Alameda Avenue at 7:00 pm. A reception follows the program. For more information you may contact John Sofos at 970-482-7417 home, 970-491-7703 work, 970-491-0278 fax.
NOTES
* Reviewed books may be purchased through the "Greece In Print" catalogue of the participating publishers and distributors in cooperation with the Hellenic Literature Society. Members of "Greece In Print" receive discounts of 20% to 30% off the publisher's list price without any obligations. Please send all book purchase requests, or requests for copies of the "Greece In Print" catalog to the H.L.S.
* Payments and/or donations to the Hellenic Literature Society are tax deductible under section 501(a)of the Internal Revenue Code as an organization described in section 501(c)(3). Funds are used to promote the reading of Greek Literature; to organize Greek literary and cultural events; to endow libraries with books of Greek literature; to create & finance libraries at the schools of the Greek Diaspora; to finance scholarships and fellowships in Greek studies; to assist Greek authors publish their manuscripts; and, award an annual prize for excellence in Greek literature. If we are instructed to direct a donation to the library of a specific institution, books will be inscribed with the name of the donor and will be accompanied by an explanatory letter.
* Please advise us if you do not receive the biweekly issues of this newsletter in your private e-mail address, and you wish to continue to do so. We are receiving some "E-mail Undeliverable" notices. We will remove from the mailing list any address for which we receive three consecutive such notices.
A.S. Onassis Center for Hellenic Studies - NY, 212-998-3994 Educational organization under the auspices of New York University
Cosmos Publishing Company - NJ, 201-664-3494: Books of Greek subject matter in English and in Greek. (Mail order worldwide)
Foundation for Hellenic Culture - NY, 212-308-6908 Non-profit organization supporting Greek cultural activities.
The GreekAmerican - NY, 718-626-7676: Weekly Newspaper (in English)
Greek American Women's Network - NJ, 201-944-4127 Provides support, contacts and shared information to women of Greek heritage.
The Hellenic American Network - NJ, 201-664-3494: Mail order advertising, reaching over 1,000,000 Greek-Americans and 120,000 Greek-Canadians.