Thursday 29 June 2023 18:30
In June, the Children’s Reading Club for young booklovers aged 10 to 12 continues its meetings, facilitated by author Angeliki Darlasi. Angeliki Darlasi is a writer of prose and theatrical plays, while she has also engaged with television and cinema. Among her awarded works are: The Boy in the Royal Box, Badboy, When We Hid an Angel, and Dream Guardians.
The book that will be discussed in this month's meeting is The Treasure of Vagia – The Graphic Novel by Georges Sari and Κanellos Cob.
Τhe Reading Club meeting will be held in the presence of Κanellos Cob.
Our young readers will meet to share impressions, feelings and thoughts, as well as to embark on an imaginary journey, sparked by the book of the month, into the fascinating worlds emerging from its pages.
The book
In the seaside village of Vagia in northwestern Aegina, a group of children — Lina, Rania, Sophie, Alexis, Klou and Angelos — are spending their summer holidays. Their monotonous everyday life is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of Nicole, who works as a psychiatrist’s assistant in Paris and has come to Vagia to collect information about a patient. This particular patient, Hans, was a soldier in Greece during the German occupation. In Vagia, he stepped on a mine, was injured and suffered partial amnesia, an event that has since affected his personality and behavior. But what is it that Hans cannot remember? What is the sad and moving story behind his amnesia? And how does it relate to a treasure? Will the group of kids be able to discover bring to light both the forgotten story and the hidden treasure?
If you enjoy mystery, adventure and history, if you have lived or, better yet, would like to live a summer adventure with great company, you can read this book and come talk about it with us, as we dig up a few little treasures of our own. Moreover, if you enjoy graphic novels, you have one more a reason to read this book, which is the adaptation of the Georges Sari’s classic by comic book creator Kanellos Cob (script & illustration).
The Comics Artist, Κanellos Cob He was born in Athens in 1985. He studied at the Department of Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art of the University of West Attica, and Comics and Illustration at École Émile Cohl, from which he graduated with honors in 2014. In 2012 he participated in the creation of the Moebius fresco, while in 2013 he published his first children’s book, L'arbre. In 2014 he started illustrating articles for French magazines. 2016 saw the publication of his first comic book, Tout nu et tout bronzé. His comic book Goodbye, Batman, on a script by Tasos Theofilou, won the audience award at the Greek Comics Awards 2019. In 2018, he began collaborating with Blue Comet magazine, while also working as an illustrator for magazines in Canada, France and Haiti. Other graphic novels of his are: The Beggar (based on the story by Andreas Karkavitsas); Bare Bones, on a script by Dimosthenis Papamarkos; Ceux du Chambon - 1939-1944 L'histoire vraie de deux frères sauvés par les Jusses, on a script by Matz.
The Writer, Georges Sari Georges Sari was born on August 22, 1923, in Athens, Greece, to a French mother and a Greek father. During the German occupation, she began attending the Drama School of Dimitris Rontiris. Later, in Paris, she pursued further acting studies at the Charles Dullin School. In 1962 she returned to Greece, where she continued to act in theater and film. Her writing career began in 1969 with The Treasure of Vagia, a novel that started out as a game with her children and their friends but ended up being a huge — and lasting — publishing success. Since 1969, she wrote novels for children and teens, novellas, children’s theatrical plays and children’s stories. She also translated fourteen novels from French into Greek. All of her books have been republished and some of them have been awarded. She was awarded the Greek National Award for a Children’s Literary Book in 1994, and was awarded by the Greek IBBY – Kyklos Paidikou Vivliou in 1994 and again in 1999. In 1988 she was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. She passed away at the age of 87 on June 9, 2012. 2023 marks 100 years since her birth.
The facilitator
A writer of literature for children and young adults, playwright and teacher of creative writing and theater.
Works and books of hers have been translated into English, Turkish, Korean, Spanish, and French. Her books have been adapted for theater (most recently, The Boy in the Royal Box, by the National Theater of Greece, 2021-2022) and puppetry performances, while some are in the pre-production stage to be adapted into films (on screenplays by the author herself), in Greece and abroad.
She has participated as co-author in productions of the State Theaters of Karlsruhe and Uppsala and the National Theater of Luxembourg (2021 & 2022), and the Union des Théâtres del'Europe (2018). Several plays of hers have been staged in Athens: Lighthouse–SNFCC, Athens Concert Hall, Art Theatre Readers’ Theatre Festival, Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People, Alkmini Theater, Amore Theater–stage B, et al. She has been repeatedly awarded and distinguished for her work (both prose and theatre).
Since 2006, she has been teaching Creative Writing and/or Theater to adults and children-teenagers, working with both public and private organizations (e.g. The Department of Theatre Studies of the University of Peloponnese, public and private post-secondary vocational schools, Metaichmio Publications, etc.). She is a motivational speaker and facilitator of activities for children and adolescents (creative writing, theater, arts and education, love of reading, etc.).
She holds degrees from the Athens University Department of Theatre Studies and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (MA in Performance Studies).
After reading the book
Thursday, June 29 18.30–20.00 MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN Up to 22 participants | For children aged 10 to 12 Free admission with online pre-registration
Anyone reserving a seat at the Book Club is required to have read the book of the month. (ALSO, it is recommended that children bring the book with them.)
The book "The Treasure of Vagia – The Graphic Novel" by Kostas Haralas is available (in Greek) from Patakis Publishers.
Children should always be accompanied by parents or adult attendants who should not be away from the outdoor activity.
As part of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center's collaboration with the National Library of Greece, the book for the Reading Club has been chosen by NLG staff members.
