Vagelis Athanasopoulos

Vangelis Athanasopoulos was born in 1946 in Piraeus. He studied in the Department of Philology at the University of Athens and at King's College, University of London. He made his literary debut with two short stories, "Contact and Aversion" and "The Ways of Beauty," while his first standalone literary book, "Punishing Oneself," published in 1976, earned him the Ministry of Culture's award for a debut author (1977). He was also honored with the State Essay-Criticism Award (1991) for his book "The Writer as a Model of Creative Action" and (2007) for "The Poetic Landscape of the Greek 19th and 20th Century, Volume III," as well as the Essay-Criticism Award from the Academy of Athens (1992) for "The Myths of the Life and Work of G. Vizyinos." His academic career began in 1975 when he was appointed as an assistant in the Chair of the History of Philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Athens, and culminated in his election as a professor of Comparative Literature in 2001. His scholarship at King's College, University of London (1981-82), influenced the direction of his research activities. He was a prolific writer, engaging in almost all forms of writing: poetry, prose, and translation of literary and critical works. His main research focus was modern Greek literature in relation to European literatures. A captivating teacher, he taught numerous semesters and departments at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Athens. He also participated in many conferences, symposiums, and workshops in Greece and abroad and was involved in organizing scientific conference committees. A socially sensitive academic, he responded to numerous invitations from scientific associations, municipal events, and various other organizations with an equal number of lectures. He was an active member of foundations, associations, Greek and foreign scientific societies, and committees of the Ministry of Culture. He also served as a member of the international jury for the European Literature Prize (1993-1994). Skilled in administration, as the director of the Department of Modern Greek Philology (1996-1998), he organized the postgraduate program and enhanced the department's scientific events. He published numerous articles in newspapers and magazines. His most recent book was "The Short Story in Greek and Foreign Literatures," Athens, Gutenberg 2009. He passed away in Athens on November 27, 2011, after battling a terminal illness.