Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 18:30, at Cotsen Hall, American School of Classical Studies at Athens. 

Screening of the documentary Antoine the Fortunate (Nefin Dinç, 2020, Anemon Productions); in partnership with Cinedoc. Followed by a conversation between Ayhan Aktar and Kalliopi Amygdalou, Moderator: Elias Kolovos

Based on Antoine Köpe’s private memoirs and unseen archive collection of unprecedented scope and beauty, Antoine the Fortunate tells the story of survival of a man and his family during the most turbulent times of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of modern Turkey. Antoine was an Austro-Hungarian citizen of the Ottoman Empire who witnessed the Balkan Wars, fought in Palestine during WW1, experienced the occupation of Constantinople by the Allied forces and the turmoil which led to the Kemalist Revolution and the declaration of the Turkish republic. His story is told through his memoirs and personal archive, which he started as a child in the early 20th century and continued throughout his life, including hundreds of never seen before home movies, photographs, sketches, comic strips, newspaper clippings, audio recordings and letters.

The documentary charts the rise and fall of the fortunes of this ordinary man and his family, as they struggle to survive and find their place in a changing world, helping us to make sense of the forces which swept through Turkey in the early 20th Century and transformed the lives of its inhabitants. Ultimately, it’s a first-person tale about coming to terms with childhood, identity, and memory, but also a historical record of the transformation of Europe.

 

 

 

 

About Muhabbet

The Gennadius Library, in collaboration with the Institute of Historical Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation and the Institute of Hellenic Culture and Liberal Arts, are co-organizing for the second consecutive year a series of discussions under the general title Muhabbet: East Mediterranean Conversations. The aim of this initiative is to create a space for dialogue among researchers, students, and others interested in the shared history and cultural heritage of the peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean. The term “Muhabbet” denotes friendly conversation.

The discussions are organized by: Ilay Romain Ors (PhD in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University), Katerina Boura (PhD in History, King’s College London), Ilias Kolovos (Director of Research, Institute of Historical Research, National Hellenic Research Foundation), and Anne McCabe (Researcher, Center for the Study of Ancient Documents, University of Oxford).

This year's program:

Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 18:30, Cotsen Hall, Gennadius Library, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Anapiron Polemou 9, Kolonaki, Athens 

Screening of the documentary Antoine the Fortunate (Nefin Dinç, 2020, Anemon Productions); in partnership with Cinedoc

Followed by a conversation between Ayhan Aktar and Kalliopi Amygdalou, Moderator: Elias Kolovos

 

Friday, February 13, 2026, 18:30, The Demos Center - The American College of Greece, Ipitou 17B, Plaka, Athens

Centuries of Parenthesis and Wounds that Never Heal?

Cengiz Aktar and Elias Kolovos, Moderator: İlay Romain Örs

 

Monday, March 2, 2026, 19:00, Benaki Museum of Greek Culture, Koumbari 1 and Vas. Sofias Avenue, Athens

Archaeology, Museums, and Photography in the Late Ottoman Empire: Osman Hamdi Bey and Theodore Macridy Bey

Bahattin Öztuncay and George Manginis, Moderator: Anne McCabe

The event is being organized in cooperation with the Benaki Museum

 

Thursday, April 16, 2026, 19:00, Cotsen Hall, Gennadius Library, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Anapiron Polemou 9, Kolonaki, Athens 

“I laugh so that I don’t cry”: Coexistence and Imperial Collapse in Ottoman Greek Satire

Kutay Onayli and Antonis Nasis, Moderator: Catherine Boura

 

Saturday, April 25, 2006, 11:30 Walking Tour in Palaio Faliro by Ilay Romain Ors: Istanbul/Poli in Athens 

 

Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 19:00, The Demos Center - The American College of Greece, Ipitou 17B, Plaka, Athens

An Ottoman Pompei

Christine Philliou and Melike Sümertaş, Moderator: Elias Kolovos

 

Tuesday, May 26, 2026, 19:00, The Demos Center - The American College of Greece, Ipitou 17B, Plaka, Athens

Greeks in the Ottoman Diplomatic Service

Sinan Kuneralp and Catherine Boura, Moderator: İlay Romain Örs