Athens in Poems

by Konstantina Georganta

Athens in Poems reveals the glorious palimpsest that is Athens mapping the city one poem at a time from the 1880s to 2010s. Walk through the streetscapes of Athens, reflect on the city’s historical development and see how poetry becomes attentive to the dynamic instability of the urban space. Watch as the city is built with language and create your own imaginative map of Athens. Wander around Athens of the 1880s, imagine the circular Omonia Square of the 1930s, visit the Shooting Range of Kaisariani during the Nazi Occupation and reach the gate of the Polytechnic School in the 1970s. Look at the capital as a huge fish tank in the 1980s, discover the bastion of Kokkinia, get to love the city’s concrete block of flats and pause for a while to have a glass of ouzo at the Athens Railway Station. Have a quick stop at the Perama district just off Pireaus and, at the start of a new century, find a chrysalis beneath Acharnon Avenue and voyage in Athens as in an ocean you can call your own. This is a map of Athens you may call your own.

Genres: Poetry, Greece

118 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2019

Reviews

[karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 - fun translation exercise, but i was lacking knowledge on greek history to fully grasp and enjoy their subtility

[Eva-Maria Luca]

The first volume to put me back on track in 2026. A gift from a precious friend of mine, who has a deep passion for Antique Greek stories and myths, bought straight from the Athens.

I never visited Athens. I never visited Greece in the first place. But I am a poet myself. I am a curator, too. From my prysm, I concluded this volume makes total sense, from the start to the end. The sense of it is given by the timeline of the poems, from the 1800's to the 2010's. It's beautifully unfolding as a monography of the city, the living experiences of the poets living the streets, the seasons, the momentum.

I am giving it 4/5 stars, for the shortness of breaths I took, each flipping page. It's beautifully put together as a map through time.

Shall we visit Athens?
Yes.

[Meredith Hooten · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I got to learn a lot about the history of places and feel the emotions of the poets. I appreciated them including information on the places mentioned in the back, but I wouldn't recommend reading this without having been to Athens (or at least a willingness to search up photos). It's best enjoyed having walked the streets they're talking about. I thought the order of the poems was fairly good, however and helped to paint a map.

[hibariii☕️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Dusk leans over the houses and her silvery eyelids are heavy.
Over there a queen, the Acropolis, wears the sunset like a purple robe.” 🧡