Vagia Kalfa | The “lesbian continuum” in Greek literature of the 20th and 21st centuries

Vagia Kalfa | The “lesbian continuum” in Greek literature of the 20th and 21st centuries | University of Amsterdam | Supervisors: Prof. Maria Boletsi/ Prof. Elisavet Arseniou (Democritus University of Thrace) | 12 May 2020 – 12 May 2024

In this thesis I set out to explore the “lesbian continuum” in Greek literature of the 20th and 21st centuries. I pursue to study lesbian literary works as well as to perform a queer reading of selected traditional works of the Greek literary Canon. My aim is thus twofold: on one hand, the charting and reconstruction of a Greek lesbian literary tradition and, on the other hand, the queering of the Greek literary Canon. To this end, I will use lesbian, queer and feminist theories in close readings of prose and poetry and will follow a comparative approach by bringing works of Greek literature in dialogue with American and English lesbian works. In doing so, I aim to situate Greek lesbian writing within a wider context and explore its relation with broader trends and literary traditions.