Nearly thirty years after his prior work ‘Hybrids’, author Nikos Athanasou has released his spiritual sequel titled ‘Late Hybrids’ as he looks to dissect and reflect on the experiences of second and third-generation Greek-Australians.
‘Late Hybrids’, published by Brandl & Schlesinger, is set to be officially launched by Vrasidas Karalis, Sir Nicholas Laurantus Professor of Modern Greek, Chair of Modern Greek Department , in Sydney at an event held at Gleebooks, Glebe, on Tuesday March 19, 6.30pm.
The book, much like his previous ‘Hybrids’ that was published in 1995, is a collection of short stories that delves deep into the relationships Greek-Australians have with both their Hellenic roots and Australian upbringing.
This involves 20 different narratives that include characters like a Grexit exile investment banker, a Golden Fleece, a Sentimental Wog and two murderers as they go about their day-to-day lives in a modern Australian world, realising they retain a Greek identity that cannot be ignored.
“Underlying the stories in this new collection (as in my first collection) is the idea that Greek-Australians see themselves as neither wholly Greek nor Australian but as a specific hybrid species formed by the influence of two cultures,” Athanasou told Neos Kosmos.
The author, who lives and works in England as Professor of Musculoskeletal Pathology at Oxford University and an Emeritus Fellow of Wadham College, elaborated on his fascination with how Greek-Australian society has developed over time.
This central motivation is what inspired him to write his initial collection ‘Hybrids’ and to follow it up now with ‘Late Hybrids’.
Athanasou explained that where ‘Hybrids’ focused on the experiences of first and second-generation Greek-Australians, ‘Late Hybrids’ investigates the now second and third-generations wherein the Greek influence in their life has been somewhat but not totally eroded.
“The stories in ‘Late Hybrids’ illustrate how Greek-Australians retain a strong sense of their Greek identity and tradition in the world of modern Australia; they focus not on overt but subtle cultural differences between Greeks and Australians that affect their personal relationships,” he said.
“A number of stories also focus on the way Greek-Australians interact with each other in a modern Australian world, particularly when they face issues of life, love, death and respect for tradition; in these situations, they are always very conscious of a duty to their Greek past.”
An interesting development that the writer of Kastellorizian descent addresses in this book is how life has changed for these subsequent generations, with the second-generation having “made it” in Australian society and their third-generation children being expected to build on this foundation.
“Unlike first-generation Greek Australians, the second and third generations are no longer (not overtly anyway) discriminated against and are not predominantly working class,” said the scientist/pathologist currently studying and diagnosing musculoskeletal disease.
“In Sydney, where almost all my stories are set, they mostly have comfortable (some very comfortable) suburban lives; many second-generation Greek-Australians inter-married and brought up their (third-generation) children in a way that made them aware of their Greek background.”
Athanasou explained this notion even further by stating that the book reflects on how aspects of our Greek culture have slowly become harder to maintain as we enter subsequent generations.
“Second-generation Greek Australians were effectively brought up as Greeks in Australia and expected to respect Greek traditions and customs. They largely spoke Greek (however imperfectly) and married other Greek-Australians; they were told to study hard and “get on” and/or “get rich” and they did this by a variety of means,” he said.
“Second-generation Greek-Australians are now for the most part comfortably off and live and talk much the same as other Australians; they are always, however slightly, aware that their Greek background distinguishes them from other Australians.”
The author stressed that the Hellenic culture is diluted even more by the third generation but that there are still characteristics maintained and worth evaluating, which is what made this an interesting subject matter for him.
“Third-generation Greek-Australians less often speak Greek and are less aware of Hellenic traditions and customs. They are, to a greater or lesser extent, an entitled generation, growing up on the back of the work of the previous two generations of hybrid Greek-Australians.
“Yet they too have to deal with their Greek inheritance (even if it is only when they have to spell out their Greek surname). As it is, a significant number of them still end up keeping company with and marrying other Greek-Australians.”