BYRON @200: Poets, Patriots & Philhellenes

A collective reading curated by poet, playwright and literary translator, Ginger F. Zaimis, in conjunction with the British School Athens and BSA Friends that presents a selection of poets, writers & history keepers in celebration of Lord Byron and the 200th anniversary of his death. The series of short talks,
readings and poetry are narrated through historical perspectives, comparative literature and contemporary modernisms in the English and Greek languages. They delineate Byron through his travels from Italy to Greece on the cusp of Greek Revolution seen through his contemporaries, patriots, statesmen and philhellenes thereof.

The talk/reading will be accompanied by traditional costume, dress & dance courtesy the Λύκειο Ελληνίδων, including Messolonghi and other
regions).

The poets and authors presented are: Orfeas Apergis, poet is reading his poem, “Πας ρομαντικός φιλέλλην”; Dr Konstantinos Bouras, poet, playwright & literary translator is reading a dedicated poem entitled, “Lord Byron”; Anna Griva, poet & literary translator, is presenting her poem on Byron’s death entitled, “A Silent Revolution” from her collection Demons; Rana Haddad, novelist and poet is reading a selection of her poetic prose in dedication to Byron entitled, “Machines writing poetry: A Letter to Lord Byron from 2024”; and the curator of BRYON @200: Poets, Patriots & Philhellenes, Ginger F. Zaimis is presenting highlights from, “Byron & Shelley: the Italian & Greek Years” inclusive of a dedicated trilogy of sonnets to Byron.

Likewise the writers, authors and historians presenting their short talks include: Dr Dimitrios Stathakopoulos, Ottomanologist & historian, presenting “Byron’s View of the Ottoman Empire”; Dr Ioannis Petropoulos, Director Emeritus, Centre for Hellenic Studies, Harvard University is reading excerpts and perspectives from “Childe Harold”; Dr. Sofka Zinovieff, writer & author, is reading an excerpt from Trelawny’s “Records of Shelley and Byron and the Author”; H.E.M. Fokion Zaimis, Deputy Governor & statesman, is reading excerpts entitled, “Financing a Revolution: Bryon, Zaimis and other Statesmen”; and Dr Meletis Meletopoulos, historian & author is presenting concurrent histories of Greek forefathers and Byron who liberated Greece from the Ottoman Empire. Penny Saccopoulou / Πέννυ Σακκοπούλου, Philologist and Member of the Lykeion ton Ellinidon / Φιλόλογος, Μέλος του Λυκείου των Ελληνίδων, will introduce the traditional costumes, dancers and dances.