Presentation of the organization

WOMEN’S LITERARY SOCIETY

and its project

 

The Administrative Board of the Greek National Section of IBBY has unanimously decided to nominate the Women’s Literary Society (in Greek: Gynaikeia Logotehniki Syntrofia) as the 2005 Greek candidate for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in Literature (category: promoting reading action). This organization has been making a significant contribution to promote reading among children and young adults in Greece for almost 50 years.

Founded in 1955, the Women’s Literary Society (WLS) is a non-profit organization, the main goal of which is to promote children’s literature as well as encourage writing and support the production of children’s books. The writing competitions that it organizes every year constitute its main project. Today, it has more than 100 members with an Administrative Board of seven members, who are elected by its General Assembly every four years and work on a voluntarily basis.

“The story of this society is like a fairytale” Tatiana Stavrou (1899-1990), the first chairperson of WLS, used to say. Here is an extract of an interview she gave to the Journal Diadromes sto horo tis logotehnias gia paidia (Routes to children's literature) in 1986 (Issue: Autumn, 1986):

Tatiana Stavrou WLS first president

QUESTION: One of the founders of the post-war Greek literature is, with no doubt, the Women’s Literary Society that was founded in 1955. Were books for children a primary goal from the beginning?

ANSWER: No, it was the exciting moment of inspiration that we did not want it to be wasted. It was the few women authors’ need to get to know each other. It was an acquaintance with love, without a certain goal, but friendship and companionship. We read our books, commented on them, and spread the news about our writing.

Q: Please tell us a few names from the WLS since its’ birth.

A: There was Ioanna Boukouvala-Anagnostou, (WLS was actually her own idea), Niki Perdika, Lila Karanikola, Myrtiotissa, Alexandra Plakotari, Xeni Kerasioti, Dialexti Zevgoli-Glezou, Rena Kartheou, Eleni Urani, Lili Iakovidi, Mellisanthi, Tila Bali, Eva Vlami, Ypatia Delgi, Dora Varnali, Efi Elianou, Olga Votsi, Lula Mavroulidou, and many others. All of them are well-known women in the field of Modern Greek Literature. Later, some of them left while others remained in WLS.

Q: And how did you finally turn towards children’s books?

A: This is where the fairytale begins. One day, during the euphoria of trust that had bound us, the poetess Rena Kartheou suddenly had the idea for children’s books. Her little son, Marios, was a bookworm but he could not find many Greek books to read. The idea sounded chimerical at the start, indefinite and inapprehensible. But since an era is ready for something, it grabs on to it and does not let it go. So we announced our first competition on writing for children's books in May 1958, and since then we have never stopped. In November 2, 1958, the first prize for children’s Greek literature was awarded. The prize was not accompanied by any sum of money. There was only a promise by the publishing house ‘Vasileiou’ that the winning manuscript would be published.

After the obvious success of the first attempt and the publications that followed, the publishing house ESTIA sponsored a prize for a historical novel. A couple of years later, not only a wide range of publishing houses, but also individuals, friends, acquaintances or even totally strangers sponsored the WLS prizes. That was how a project on writing-for-children was developed.

Since the late 1950’s, approximately 60 manuscripts keep being submitted to the WLS annual competitions per year. A pseudonym is always required, so as to make sure that it is the manuscript itself judged rather than the famous name of the writer. This means that the Jury of the WLS has judged more than 3.000 manuscripts in total.

During the recent decades, novels on subjects concerning social problems, ecology, the cause of peace and various other topics of international interest have been added to the competitions, not to mention historical and travel novels, poetry, drama as well as fantasies for young children.

Since 1990, some more activities promoting children’s literature have also been undertaken by the WLS, as described in the Report on Activities that follows.

In January 2000, the WLS received an Award from the Greek Society of Christian Letters for its contribution to the promotion of children’s literature.

Angeliki Varella, WLS president, receives the award