Vassilis Vassilikos
Vassilis Vassilikos | |
|---|---|
| Βασίλης Βασιλικός | |
 Vassilikos in 2016 | |
| Member of the Hellenic Parliament for National list | |
| In office 7 July 2019 – 22 April 2023 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Vassilios N. Vassilikos 18 November 1933 Kavala, Greece |
| Died | 30 November 2023 (aged 90) Athens, Greece |
| Resting place | First Cemetery of Athens |
| Political party | MeRA25 (2018–2019) SYRIZA (2019–2023) |
| Spouse |
Vasso Papantoniou (m. 1983) |
| Children | Evridiki Vassilikou - Papantoniou |
| Education | Anatolia College |
| Alma mater | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Yale Drama School |
Vassilis Vassilikos (Greek: Βασίλης Βασιλικός, 18 November 1933 – 30 November 2023) was a Greek writer and diplomat. According to UNESCO data, he is the 9th-most translated Modern Greek author.[1]
Biography
[edit]Vassilis Vassilikos was born in Kavala on 18 November 1933. He grew up in Thessaloniki, where he then graduated from school. Afterwords, he studied television directing at Yale University's Drama School and moved to Athens to work as a journalist afterwords.[citation needed]
Because of his political activities, he was forced into exile for seven years following the coup of 1967.[2] He continued to live and work abroad until his permanent return to Greece in 1994.
From 1981 to 1984, Vassilikos served as the deputy director of the Greek state television channel ERT. From 1996 to 2004, he served as Greece's ambassador to UNESCO.
Vassilikos was married twice. His first marriage was with a woman named Mimi, with whom he founded a publishing house. They later divorced because she became a nun.[citation needed] In 1983, he married a lyrical singer, Vasso Papantoniou (born 1939), with whom he had a daughter, Evridiki.
He died on 30 November 2023, at the age of 90. He was buried at the First Cemetery of Athens on 4 December.[3] Vassilikos is survived by his wife and daughter.[4]
Work
[edit]Vassilikos published over 100 books, including novels, plays, and poetry. His best-known work is the political novel Z (1967), which has been translated into 32 languages and was the basis of the film Z, directed by Costa-Gavras. It was also the inspiration of the Indian film Shanghai (2012 film).[2]
Politics
[edit]Vassilikos ran in the 2014 Greek local elections as a PASOK candidate for counsellor in the city of Athens.[5]
In the 2019 Greek legislative election, he was elected as a Member of Parliament with Syriza.
Selected bibliography
[edit]- The Monarch
- And Dreams Are Dreams
- The Photographs
- The Plant, the Well, the Angel
- The Coroner's Assistant
- The Harpoon Gun
- The Few Things I Know About Glafkos Thrassakis
- Z (English language ISBN 0-394-72990-0 or ISBN 0-941423-50-6)
Translations
[edit]- The Photographs, tr. M. Edwards (1971; repr. 1972)
- The Plant, The Well, The Angel A Trilogy, tr. E. Keeley, M. Keeley (1964)
References
[edit]- ^ "Index Translationum: UNESCO Culture Sector". 8 January 2025.
- ^ a b "Renowned Greek Writer and Diplomat Vassilis Vassilikos Dies, Aged 90". The National Herald. Athens News Agency. 30 November 2023.
- ^ "Πέθανε ο Βασίλης Βασιλικός σε ηλικία 89 ετών". ProtoThema (in Greek). 30 November 2023. Archived from the original on 30 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "Greek author Vassilis Vassilikos, whose political novel inspired award-winning film 'Z,' dies at 89". AP News. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Β. Βασιλικός: Γιατί κατεβαίνω υποψήφιος στην Αθήνα με τον Γ. Καμίνη" Archived 30 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine @ iNewsgr.com
External links
[edit]- Vassilikos' home page
- Vassilikos' poems from Translatum's anthology of Poets from Thessaloniki
- 1934 births
- 2023 deaths
- People from Thasos
- People from Kavala
- 20th-century Greek diplomats
- Greek democracy activists
- Greek journalists
- 20th-century Greek novelists
- 20th-century Greek poets
- Modern Greek-language writers
- Permanent delegates of Greece to UNESCO
- Greek male poets
- 20th-century Greek male writers
- Greek MPs 2019–2023
- Syriza politicians