Associate Professor of Modern Greek Literature and Theory of Literature
Maria Athanasopoulou obtained a B.A. in Greek Philology (area of concentration: Modern Greek) from the University of Crete in 1989. She holds two master’s degrees from King’s College, London; one in Comparative Literature with particular reference to the Study of European Romanticism, the other in Modern Greek Studies (1990, 1991 respectively). A recipient of the major scholarship for studies in comparative literature overseas of the Greek State Scholarships’ Foundation [1993-1997], Athanasopoulou was awarded the PhD. degree for a thesis on The Greek Sonnet [1895-1936] by the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages of the University of Cambridge in 1999. Before joining our Department in 2009, Athanasopoulou taught for over a decade as Adjunct Faculty at the Universities of Thessaly, Patras, Crete and Cyprus, as well as for the Hellenic Open University, courses in Modern Greek literature of the last two centuries, in the history of Modern Greek criticism, in literary theory, in comparative literature. Athanasopoulou’s research interests center around the relationship of literature to nationalism, the theory of genres, the theory of inter-arts analogies. She has written extensively on the poetry and prose of Cavafy, while her more recent interests include the presence of the diasporic and the transnational element in Greek literature (cf. her studies on the literature of Cyprus; the literature of the greek-american diaspora; and on Judaic literature in Greek). She has published two books relating to matters of Modern Greek poetry (Theodore Dorros: Gazing at salvation, Athens 2005; The Greek Sonnet [1895-1936]: A study in poetics, Thessaloniki 2011) and numerous articles on the history and the poetics of Modern Greek literature in English and in Greek. She is, among else, the translator of Hawthorn’s popular book Unlocking the Text: An introduction to literary theory into Greek.
Office: Exadaktilou Building, 6th floor Phone: 2310 992159
Email: athanasopoulou@thea.auth.gr
Contact hours: Tuesday 16.00-17.00, Wednesday 13.00-15.00
