The evolving nature of Greekness and queerness in Greek-Australians is the basic theme in the latest book by Will Kostakis, ‘We could be something’ to be launched tomorrow in Sydney.
The 33-year-old writer elaborates on questions about how Greek-Australians’ relationships with their Hellenic identity have transformed over the generations and how one stays linked with their roots as the original generation of Greek migrants pass away.
The novel follows two 17-year-old Greek-Australians, Harvey, an aspiring dropout whose fathers are getting divorced, and Sotiris, an overachiever who has just released his first novel, with the pair’s stories intersecting on a street in Darlinghurst.
Kostakis has returned to contemporary realism after some years writing a fantasy series. This is a lifelong ambition of his, and he considers it his “most personal novel”.
“I took inspiration from my life – my small but potent Greek family, my experiences as a published author as a teenager, growing up in a café my mother ran – and from that a fictional story bloomed,” the 33-year-old novelist told Neos Kosmos.
Some key elements to the novel include the two protagonists’ understandings of their own Greek and queer identities as well as honouring the generation of Greek migrants who came in the aftermath of World War II.
“I wanted to explore the changing nature of being Greek and being queer in Australia. It’s a love letter to my heritage, and as we say goodbye to those first post-World War II Greek migrants, a reflection on what we’re losing,” Kostakis told Neos Kosmos.
The author was keen to tell authentic queer stories that were not being held back, or cast into the shadows.
“For a long time, being gay in Australian young adult publishing meant pushing queer stories to the margins, delicately implying things, and treading on eggshells for fear of not being shelved or from not being studied in schools.”
“Obviously, times have changed, and I want to take advantage of this moment to tell stories I always wanted to,” Kostakis said.
Kostakis delved into this narrative to tell two unique tales of queer teens, one who is openly pansexual (Harvey) and another who is gay and closeted (Sotiris), something he did not feel ready to do earlier in his career.
“As a gay man, there’s a lot I want to say about the intersection of queerness and Greekness, things I wasn’t bold enough to say, and probably wouldn’t have been able to say, when I published my last big fat Greek book, The First Third,” the author said.
“The way Harvey and Sotiris both relate to being Greek is different, and obviously it’s there in their names. They’re similar as characters, but their experiences shape them into very different young men.”
Kostakis began writing We could be something’ in 2021, considering it his “break in case of emergency” if his scheduled touring would be delayed by COVID19 lockdowns.
“It helped me feel like I was doing something in a moment of uncertainty and financial upheaval. I was drawing on my life and spinning something positive from some of my darkest moments made it doubly satisfying,” he said.
Kostakis’ feels a deep connection to his Hellenic identity, being raised by two Greek parents, his is father from Rhodes and his mother was born in Australia.
“While my Greek is pretty dodgy, and I probably don’t visit as often as I should, I have been shaped by my family, and their Greekness is mine,” the author said.
“It’s informed the way I look and act in the world. Obviously, I have a ton of embarrassing stories that sound outlandish to anyone who isn’t Greek, but I wouldn’t trade any of those experiences.”
‘We could be something’ will be launched Tuesday May 2, at 7 pm, at Books Kinokuniya on George Street, Sydney.