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The shortlists for this year’s IBBY Greece Awards for writing, illustration and translation of books published in 2015 were announced last week.We were delighted to see two of our books nominated: The book by Thodoris Papaioannou, illustrated by Iris Samartzi, *Apenanti* (Across), is nominated for the award for picture book illustrator and author, for both the illustrations and the text, and the graphic novel "Democracy" by Alekos Papadatos, Avraam Kawa and Annie Di Donna is nominated for the award for author of a book for teenagers and young adults.The winners will be announced and the awards presented to the creators on Saturday 2 April 2016 at 7.00 pm at the annual celebration for World Children’s Book Day, at Aeriofylakio 1 – Amphitheatre at Technopolis, Municipality of Athens (100 Piraeus Street, Gazi).

The Teloglion Foundation, having organised a series of significant exhibitions, continues its major retrospectives on artists who have influenced and continue to influence contemporary artistic creation. On 18 March, the exhibition ‘The World of Odysseas Elytis: Poetry and Painting’ opens to mark the 20th anniversary of his death.The exhibition will comprise three sections: a) Elytis’s paintings and collages, b) excerpts from his aesthetic essays on great painters and sculptors (such as Panagiotis Zografos, Matisse, Picasso, Theophilos, Parthenis, Hatzikyriakos-Gikas, Engonopoulos, Kapralos, Nikolaou, Tsarouchis, Kanellis, Moralis, Fassianos, Derpapas), which will be accompanied by representative works by these artists. The same section will also feature the poet’s manuscripts, his first editions and a wealth of archival material (the Nobel Prize, documents, etc.). c) Works by distinguished contemporary artists inspired by Elytis’s poetry (N. Mela, Tetsis, Theocharakis, Tsoklis, Paniaras, Sorogas, Makroupalis, Botsoglou, Papagiannis, Psychopedis, Kottis, Adamakos, Pantelias, Varotsos, Bokoros, Lappas, Liti). The exhibition is curated by Takis Mavrotas, with the support of the poet Ioulita Iliopoulou. Works and materials have been loaned by the Benaki Museum, the Gennadius Library, the National Gallery, the Theocharakis Foundation and numerous artists and collectors.The exhibition will be opened by the President of the Republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, on 18 March 2016 (the 20th anniversary of the poet’s death), and will be honoured by the presence of leading figures from the worlds of literature and the arts.On Monday 21 March 2016, World Poetry Day, the Teloglion Foundation is organising, as part of the exhibition, a concert by composer G. Kouroupou featuring the music of O. Elytis’s poetry at the Royal Theatre.Information on the books by Odysseas Elytis published by Ikaros can be found here.  Especially for the month of March, the commemorative edition "Odysseas Elytis – The Navigator of the Century" will be on sale for €30.00 (40% discount) on our website. If you wish to purchase the book, please enter the discount code NAFTILOS in the discount coupon field.

On Thursday 10 March 2016, at 8.00 pm, the National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation, in collaboration with Ikaros Publications and the Benaki Museum, presents Alexis Kyritsopoulos’s painting exhibition FAIRY TALES FROM POEMS. Alexis Kyritsopoulos draws inspiration from thelyrics of poets from the 1930s generation and writes fairy tales featuring his own images; specifically, works by Giorgos Seferis, Nikos Engonopoulos, Yannis Ritsos and Giorgos Sarantaris.The four fairy tales that emerged from this collaboration are published by Ikaros in partnership with the Benaki Museum in the series ‘If I were to read… poets of the 1930s generation’.Just a Little More – a fairy tale inspired by the poems of Giorgos Seferis. Bengali – a fairy tale inspired by the poems of Nikos Engonopoulos.The Adventures of Rosa – a fairy tale inspired by the poems of Yannis Ritsos. A Journey to the Clouds – a fairy tale inspired by the poems of Giorgos Sarantaris.You can find more information about the fairy tales and Alexis Kyritsopoulos here.MIET Bookshop – 11 Tsimiski Street, Thessaloniki, Tel. 2310 288 036Exhibition dates: Thursday 10 March to Saturday 9 April 2016Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday, Saturday 10:00–15:00 / Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10:00–21:00 Admission is free to the public

Yannis Sakellaraki published his first book with Ikaros, entitled “The Poetics of Excavation”, in 2003. It was part of the “Portraits” series, in which we invited prominent figures who shape the intellectual life of our country to write their autobiographies and reveal their worlds and their visions.His subsequent books, ‘The Taste of a Prehistoric Olive Tree’ (2005) and ‘Uncovering the Past’ (published by Ikaros, 2006), also followed a similar thematic thread: through descriptions of his excavation work, the author recounted experiences and emotions inspired by archaeological finds: a bowl full of prehistoric olives, a sealstone and a ring at Anemospeilia, the sensation of being an archaeologist-gold-digger, the exercise of observation through the stories of Agatha Christie, the comparison of police work with historical research, the anonymity of prehistory. Obscure and famous figures, unknown aspects and details of the excavations that influenced his way of thinking and his life came to the surface.Thirty consecutive years of excavation experience, the dread of scientific solitude, the thrill of discovery, the immense responsibility. As the author delves into the various strata of time within the Earth, he also discovers himself. Our collaboration provided an opportunity to get to know a charismatic man who, beyond his undeniable contribution to archaeology, was an exceptional storyteller. His use of language, the precision of his descriptions and his sense of humour, combined with his piercing gaze and upright posture, captivated every listener.With this in mind, we are particularly delighted that Dionysia Kopana’s documentary, for which she wrote the screenplay and directed, “The Trace of Time”, dedicated to the life of the great Greek archaeologist, is due to be released in 2016.With a profound, penetrating insight, seeks to present his personality, whilst also adding this dimension: that of the great thinker and teacher, the “excavator of souls” who had a profound influence on all those fortunate enough to be in his company.Filming took four years and was completed thanks to the tireless support of Efi Sapouna-Sakellaraki, whilst the total filming costs were covered by the Kostopoulos Foundation. The film’s crew followed in Sakellaraki’s footsteps to the Idaion Andron at Anemospilia, the Valley of the Dead in Zakros, the cemetery at Fourni in Archanes, and the summit of Psiloritis.We are eagerly awaiting the release of the documentary. You can find more information, as well as the trailer, here. You can find out more about Yannis Sakellaraki’s books at Ikaros, and a brief biography of him here: