Two journals of high caliber pertaining to the theory and criticism of children's literature theory exist in Greece. These are the annual "Epitheorisi Tis Pedikis Logotechnias" ("The Children's Literature Review") and quarterly "DIADROMES" ("ROUTES to literature for children & young adults").
Contact/Subscription information for both these journals can be found below:
Editor: Haris Sakellariou
Thirteen volumes of EPITHEORISI have been published over the last few years and although each volume has usualy been dedicated to a specific theme or topic of children's literature, the papers published have been of high academic quality and have portrayed depth in literary thought and the richness of scholarly research within the field of children's literature in Greece. In addition to the papers, there have also been calls for papers for conferences as well as reviews of Greek texts of children's literature criticism.
Director: V.D. Anagnostopoulos
Editor: Angeliki Varella
Each issue of DIADROMES is dedicated to a specific theme and is published four times a year in March, June, September and December. It also includes reviews of recently published children's and young adult books.
Other literary journals also consecrate articles if not complete issues to the field every now and then, i.e. Bestseller, Diavazo, I Leschi Ton Ekpedeftikon or even Periplous, whose 49th issue published at the end of 2000, was wholely dedicated to Children's Literature and included 13 different articles in addition to a large number of reviews and critics of children's books. Furthermore, newspapers often have special pages devoted to children's literature and articles in daily issues are abundant.
The existance of the Circle of the Greek Children's Book (the Greek Ibby section) which organises various children's literature conferences which range in topics from criticism to the relationship of the genre with schooling or ecology. The organisation also awards teachers and children's literature authors for their literary achievements in the Greek environment.
They may be contacted at their address:
Further organisations and societies in Greece include Aesopos (the Greek children's illustrator's society), and the Women's Literary Society, as well as the chapter of the International Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.
The study of Children's Literature theory and Criticism in University has become part of the curriculum and can be found in the environment of Primary Education Departments of Greek Universities. These include the University of Athens, the University of Thessaloniki, Democritus University in both the departments of Primary and Pre-primary education, the University of the Aegean (Rhodes)where the first Master's degree program in children's literature has been set up, the University of Ioannina, the University of Thessaly (Volos).
* The University of Minnesota Special Collections Department and the Children's Literature Research Collections has substantial holdings in Greek literature. The reading room in Andersen Library is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m..
* High Profile State Children’s Literature Awards Ceremony
On the evening of the 21st of March the Ceremony for the 2004 State Children’s Literature Prizes was held at the Athens Music Megaron. Orchestrated by internationally and domestically popular children’s literature author, Eugene Trivizas, the awards ceremony fervently bowed away from the classic stilted and genuinely lacklustre style to one focusing on the main audience of this literature: children. For the first time, classes from different schools throughout Greece were invited to attend the ceremony, and so the program was purposely suited to them. The announcement of each award winner was followed by an interpretation of its plot or theme in the form of dance, music, or theatre. To make matters even more interesting the interpreters themselves included dancers of the State Ballet Company, popular singers such as Eleftheria Arvanitaki, Dionysios Savvopoulos and Savvina Yiannatou, and celebrated actors from the theatre and television who all volunteered to help in this event. While children participated actively both in the awards ceremony and as part of the audience, the ceremony was also attended by distinguished members of the media, business and political world. In particular, the President of the Greek Republic, Mr. Carolos Papoulias himself, not only attended the ceremony, but he also presented the State Prize for Children’s Fiction to the authors. The prize given for children’s fiction was shared between Sophia Fildisi Poemata gia Pedia [Poems for Children] (Patakis Publishers) and Petros Hatzopoulos I Exafanisi tis Dorothy Snot [The Disappearance of Dorothy Snot] (Patakis Publishers). The prize awarded for children’s illustration was given to Vassilis Papatsarouchas for his illustrations of Argyro Kokoreli’s adaptation of Kokkinoskoufitsa [Little Red Riding Hood] (Ellinika Grammata). The prize awarded for Children’s Non-fiction was granted to Eleni Dikaiou’s To Megalo Taxidi tou Odyssea [Odysseus Long Journey] (Patakis Publishers) which had also been short listed under the category for children’s illustration.
In addition to these more obvious prizes awarded to exceptional works published in 2004, a special honorary prize was awarded to the exemplary work of non-Greek illustrators living and working in Greece. This new category is representative of the constantly developing international and multicultural character of Greek children’s literature publications as well as the promotion of the working environment in Greek children’s illustration as one filled with opportunities. Such a prize may also provide a gateway for domestic publications to travel abroad in translation and become windows to the international yet simultaneously unique flavour of Modern Greek children’s literature.
The high profile and even higher quality of the awards ceremony is evidence of the ground that Greek children’s literature has covered over the last few years and of its recognition and support by the State (Ministries of Culture and Education), the media and the general public.
