With her chunky neck pieces, trademark pageboy bob haircut, dark sunglasses covering much of her face and a reputation that precedes any face-to-face encounter, Dame Anna Wintour, DBE, editor-in-chief of Vogue since 1988 and artistic director for Condé Nast, is arguably the most visible and vocal personality in the fashion world, widely praised fo...
Read moreAcknowledged as the face of contemporary seafood cuisine in Greece, Lefteris Lazarou’s open-minded and informal approach to fine dining has made Varoulko a place of gastronomic pilgrimage. “Food, should viscerally, instinctively, spiritually, transform you. It should, and has the power to inspire, astonish, shock, excite, deli...
Read moreA grisly crime, a woman held hostage in her own mind, and a therapist determined to unravel her secrets - Alex Michaelides’ The Silent Patient is a riveting exploration of the maze-like psyches of the woman convicted of murdering her husband and the therapist determined to treat her. Michaelides peels the workings of a criminal mind layer...
Read moreFew hotels can claim to be destinations in their own right. Fewer still are so iconic as to have become bywords for luxury and hospitality. But by exuberantly layering old and new, international and local – and imbuing it with as much character and craftsmanship as the sprawling 30-acre complex can possibly hold – Four Seasons Astir Palac...
Read moreThink of Yorgos Lanthimos’ films and the adjectives that spring to mind aren’t necessarily entertaining or life-affirming. They’re more likely to be disturbing, dystopian, unwatchable or plain WTF. And yet, Yorgos Lanthimos' tragicomic royal drama The Favourite is a delightful consolidation of his recurring themes: the corrosive effects o...
Read moreIn his open-collared crumpled white shirt and linen vest, Pascal Bruckner is the model of a modern French intellectual whose Gallic appeal (still at work at 70) and eloquent opinions have provoked controversy and endless debates on identity, guilt, democracy and the elusive Western quest for happiness. A few of his views culled from his c...
Read moreFour lady ambassadors draw on their personal experience as career diplomats to speak on glass ceilings, rooms full of blue suits and how old boys’ networks in the patriarchal world of public affairs and diplomacy are giving way to a more diverse, balanced foreign office. Asked in 1933 whether the diplomatic service should be o...
Read moreSome say each glass of wine is unique. In its history, consistency, and the nuances of taste and smell, nothing can or will ever be quite the same. Eleni Kefalopoulou shares this singularity with her literary subject, as well as the setting in which she writes about the ancient and globally popular beverage. Her book, “Mount Athos Wine: The History...
Read moreSteve Lazarides on the ever-elusive Banksy’s most shocking stunt yet With the staged self-destruction of his own 1.4 million dollar painting at an auction, Banksy shocked the world yet again and cemented his status as one of the most fascinating and unpredictable artists of our time. Back in May 2010 Athens Insider spoke with...
Read moreWhen you hear the phrase rock and roll, the image that appears in your mind is probably one that Richard Bellia took. Born with the gift of artistry, Bellia has used his eye for passion and talent to photograph dozens of iconic rock musicians in a groundbreaking career spanning almost 40 years. Richard Bellia’s legendary career as a photo...
Read morePulitzer Prize-winning author Jeffrey Eugenides is in Athens to speak at length on his latest book, Fresh Complaints, a compilation of short stories, gender fluidity and keeping the cheer in the Trumpian era. Jeffrey Eugenides, writer of passionate sagas and real-world tales about growing up and growing old, and himself a memb...
Read moreKarine Ancellin meets Sofka Zinovieff, whose latest book, Putney, set in Britain and Greece, walks into the uncomfortable centre of the #MeToo storm while questioning the free-spirited interpretation of consent and control in the ‘70s. A compelling novel by Bloomsbury, Putney has received critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. ...
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