Warm congratulations to Dimitris Papanikolaou whose book Κάτι τρέχει με την οικογένεια: Έθνος, πόθος και συγγένεια την εποχή της κρίσης [There is Something About the Family: Nation, desire and kinship at a time of crisis, Patakis 2018] has been shortlisted for the prestigious Greek State Literary Awards (essay category). The announcement praised the book for its bold analysis of social and cultural issues, as well as its probing and timely critique.
Κάτι τρέχει με την οικογένεια explores the turn to the (dysfunctional) family as a key theme in the Greek cinema and literature of the last decade and analyses the larger sociopolitical dynamic it participates in. Papanikolaou describes the book as “part cultural criticism and part autobiographical essay in queer theory”, a mix that has not gone unnoticed by audiences. Since its publication and very warm critical reception, the book has provided inspiration for a site-specific theatre performance (May 2019), as well as the rationale for a dedicated film festival programme in the 2019 Athens Avant-garde film festival.