Pulitzer Laureate Jeffrey Eugenides Explores Greek American Identity at NHM Event
Pulitzer Prize-winning Greek American novelist Jeffrey Eugenides (The Virgin Suicides, Middlesex, The Marriage Plot) will speak at the National Hellenic Museum in Chicago’s Greektown neighborhood on Thursday, December 5 from 7-8:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
In this special event, co-hosted by NHM and the Consulate General of Greece in Chicago, Jeffrey Eugenides will be in conversation with Chicago Tribune features writer Christopher Borrelli.
This is a unique opportunity for Chicago audiences to hear from one of America’s most celebrated authors. Jeffrey Eugenides will speak about how his Greek American identity has shaped his storytelling, from his acclaimed novels to his reflections on culture and creativity.
This event is generously sponsored by Greektown Special Service Area #16, Avli Restaurant, and Mr. Stavros Basseas.
Limited free tickets are available on a first-come, first served basis on Eventbrite.
Eugenides has written numerous short stories and essays, as well as three novels: The Virgin Suicides (1993), Middlesex (2002), and The Marriage Plot (2011).
The Virgin Suicides served as the basis of the 1999 film of the same name, while Middlesex received the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in addition to being a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the International Dublin Literary Award, and France’s Prix Médicis.
Jeffrey Eugenides: Half Irish, half Greek
Eugenides was born in Detroit on March 8, 1960. He is of Greek descent through his father and English and Irish descent through his mother.
He knew he wanted to be a writer from a relatively early age, stating:
“I decided very early; during my junior year of high school. We read A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man that year, and it had a big effect on me, for reasons that seem quite amusing to me now. I’m half Irish and half Greek—my mother’s family were Kentuckians, Southern hillbillies, and my paternal grandparents were immigrants from Asia Minor—and, for that reason, I identified with Stephen Dedalus.
“Like me, he was bookish, good at academics, and possessed an ‘absurd name, an ancient Greek’. […] I do remember thinking […] that to be a writer was the best thing a person could be. It seemed to promise maximum alertness to life. It seemed holy to me, and almost religious.”
Eugenides met his former wife, photographer, and sculptor Karen Yamauchi, at the MacDowell artist’s program. They got married in 1995 and later had a daughter named Georgia Eugenides.
After being raised in a nominally Greek Orthodox household, in 2022 Eugenides was received into the Catholic Church with his wife Marlene Morgan at the Church of St. Joseph in Greenwich Village, which they attend with his second daughter Helen.
The National Hellenic Museum
Since its founding in 1983, the National Hellenic Museum has been sharing the stories of Greek contributions to history, art, and culture, with a special focus on the journeys of Greek-American immigrants.
Embracing the vibrant Greek narrative in America, the museum hosts an array of engaging programs, ranging from dynamic exhibits to educational classes and public events.
Related: Celebrating Greek Heritage: National Hellenic Museum Gala Raises Nearly $1 Million
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