The Coburg Public Library, part of the Merri-bek City Council, in collaboration with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia – Parish of Coburg, is hosting a free cultural-literary event titled “The Maintenance of Greekness in Multicultural Australia.”
The event will be divided into two parts. In the first part, speakers will discuss the challenges and possibilities for preserving the Greek language, culture, and identity within multicultural Australia.
The second part will feature the book launch of two recent works by acclaimed author John Vasilakakos: Phantom Pregnancy – Autofiction (Odos Panos, Athens, 2023) and The Resistance Prose-Writing of the Junta Period in Greece 1967-1974 – A Critical Study (Odysseas, Athens, 2024).
For the first time in Melbourne’s literary scene, a retrospective display of all of John Vasilakakos’s published works will be presented to celebrate his significant contributions to Greek and Greek-Australian literature over the past 51 years (1973-2024).
Speakers are:
- Barbara Johnson: Librarian responsible for the Greek collection at Coburg Library
- Rev. Sakellarios Father Leonidas Ioannou: Parish Priest at the Holy Church of the Presentation of Our Lord, Coburg
- Dr. Vassilis Adrahtas: Lecturer of Modern Greek Studies at Macquarie University and Lecturer of Religious Studies at the University of Western Sydney
- Dr. John Vasilakakos: Former Lecturer of Modern Greek Studies, Interpreting & Translating at Deakin University, and Lecturer of Interpreting & Translating at RMIT University
When: Tuesday, 30 July at 6.30pm
Where: Hall of the Holy Church of the Presentation of Our Lord, 23-29 Victoria Street, Coburg
