Yiorgos Chouliaras is a Greek poet, essayist, prose writer, and translator. In 2014, he was awarded an Academy of Athens prize for innovative writing and for his work in its entirety. His poetry in translation has been published in leading periodicals and anthologies, such as Harvard Review, The Iowa Review, Ploughshares, Poetry, World Literature Today, and Modern European Poets, and in Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Sweden, and Turkey among other countries. Born in Thessaloniki, he studied and worked mostly in New York, before returning to Athens from Dublin. He has worked as a university lecturer, advisor to cultural institutions, correspondent, and press counselor at Greek diplomatic missions. He has been elected President of the Hellenic Authors’ Society, the principal association of literary writers in Greece.

Author & editor of Greek & U.S. literary & scholarly publications (Journal of the Hellenic Diaspora, Journal of Modern Hellenism et al., Tram & Hartis co-founder)

Former university lecturer in the U.S.; worked as U.S. correspondent & journalist

Worked as advisor to cultural institutions (including MOMA, the Cultural Capital of Europe and the Hellenic Foundation for Culture)

Professional memberships

Elected President (twice), Hellenic Authors’ Society & to other positions previously

Greek representative to EWC (European Writers Council)

Elected Vice-President, TSWTC (Three Seas Writers & Translators Council)

Elected Vice President, OSDEL (Greek Collecting Society for Literary Works)

Elected to founding Board of Poets Circle (Greece)

Elected to Board of MGSA (Modern Greek Studies Association) in North America

 

Literary Activities 

Recent invitations to read from his work and/or lecture include: Slovenia Cankarev festival (Dec 2019), Cyprus international literary festival (Nov 2019), Egypt international Cavafy symposium (Oct 2019), Norway Democracies in Europe colloquium (April 2019), China international literary forum (Nov 2018), Lithuania international poetry festival (May 2018), Bulgaria international Cavafy conference (March 2018), Columbia University & Stanford University readings & lectures (Nov 2017), Croatia Zagreb Literary Talks (Oct 2016), Tunisia European & Maghreb writers conference (Nov 2015), France Voix Vives poetry festival (July 2015), Czech Republic Prague Writers’ Festival (April 2015). He has been involved in a large number of Greek literary activities and has organized numerous international literary and other cultural events in Greece and abroad.

Freedom of Speech Activities (including combined literary events)

Represented Greek writers in EU & PEN International 2015 “Literature & Borders” meeting in the Maghreb and in other PEN activities while he lived abroad

https://wpm2011.org/node/826 (World Poetry Movement)

Major organizer of the Ashraf Fayadh event in Greece (2016), in coordination with the Berlin International Literature Festival, and of other activities in support of freedom of speech, which is a principal objective of the Hellenic Authors’ Society

His poem “Refugees” was read at the opening of the 2015 Berlin Literature Festival https://www.boell.de/sites/default/files/2015-9_berliner_anthologie.pdf

Main publications 

Extensive citations of his literary & scholarly work; his poetry has been taught at U.S. universities; much original work published in English only; several contributions to international volumes published in the U.S., in Europe, and in India; work included in many anthologies in Greece and abroad; literary & other work published very extensively in periodicals, newspapers, and volumes of selected papers

 

Main translations

Principally into English (by American poets & translators in collaboration with the author), but also into Bulgarian, Croatian, French, German, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Lithuanian, Scots, Slovenian, Swedish, Turkish, and other languages

Professional awards & distinctions 

Academy of Athens Ouranis Prize for innovative writing and his work in its entirety

Honored by ALTA (American Literary Translators Association) for his poetry in translation in U.S. literary publications

Member, Jury, international U.S. Neustadt Prize for Literature (as the third writer from Greece on the jury after Odysseas Elytis and G.P. Savidis)

First Emeritus Member of Board of Ottawa International Writers Festival

President (twice), Jury, European Union Prize for Literature for emerging writers

Yiorgos Chouliaras is a Greek poet, essayist, prose writer, and translator. In 2014, he was awarded an Academy of Athens prize for innovative writing and for his work in its entirety. His poetry in translation has been published in leading periodicals and anthologies, such as Harvard Review, The Iowa Review, Ploughshares, Poetry, World Literature Today, […]