“The Athenian – Greece’s English Language Monthly” was the first magazine in the English language to be published in Greece.
The magazine was founded in 1974, during the last months of the Greek military dictatorship, by Eleni Panopalis Kotsonis, a Canadian of Greek and Scottish descent, who had studied at McGill and Columbia Universities.
Kotsonis remained owner, publisher and editor of the magazine until 1979 when the title was bought by Sloane Elliott, who had acted as Editorial Director. Elliott was a New York born, Yale-educated novelist, playwright, essayist and under his ownership continued the magazine’s publication until April 1993.
The magazine was initially published bi-monthly for six months in 1974 and monthly from then on for 19 years until 1993.
“The Athenian – Greece’s English Language Monthly” was lightly modeled on the New Yorker magazine, with articles emphasizing on Greek politics, commentary, cultural events, history, travel information, reviews of theater and cinema, art and archaeology, practical information on museums and restaurants, as well as cartoons and satire. Its readership were English-speaking Greeks, expatriates and visitors.
The magazine’s covers were iconic of the time, and some of them touched on political issues, such as the fall of the military dictatorship in July 1974.
The editorial of the magazine, titled “Our Town” written by Sloane Elliott, analyzed and commented, often with humor, on the political and social developments of the country and became a trademark for English-speaking readers living in Greece. ‘Our Town’ is a month-by-month Greek chronicle of life in Greece for 19 years.
Contributors were authors, scholars, writers, illustrators and painters, throughout its circulation such as Kimon Friar, Grover Williamson McDiarmid, Robert Brenton Betts, Loui Silyvridou-Pasalari, Paul Anastasi, Kevin Andrews, Elizabeth Boleman-Herring, Katerina Agrafioti, Marc Dubin, Alec Kitroeff, Yannis Gaitis, Alekos Fassianos, Spyros Vassiliou, Nikos Stavroulakis, Antonis Kalamaras, Spyros Ornerakis, Paul Valassakis.
