The modern tracker of “Greek” New York
Achievements

The modern tracker of “Greek” New York

Roula Kotseta was born in 1963 in Chania, Crete. She involved in journalism in 1987 from the newspaper «Kerdos», «24 Ores» and the magazine «Kai». From 1988-1997 she lived in New York where she worked for the GreekAmerican newspaper «Proini», the «Reporters» and the GreekAmerican TV station NGTV where she reported and presented homogeny news.

In 1997 she returned to Athens by taking over the desk of «Proini» in Athens. From 2000 till now she works in the newspaper «Kerdos» as chief editor of the cultural column and moderator of the newspaper’s site on the internet. She is a member of ESIEA.
The publication of «Chasing the Dream» is her first writing job and she is also involved with scriptwriting.

The book refers to U.S. expatriates and especially those in New York, in the history of the Greek communities and clubs in New York from 1900 until 1995. Through archival material and photographs used by Roula Kotseta for the book, travels her readers to the effort of the Greeks to join in their new homelands.

Some interesting facts presented by Roula Kotseta, at her work, concern the first immigrants from Laconia, who created their own hangout in New York, the «Bank of Lakonia. Who knows, for example, that the first Greek immigrant who makes his steps in New York in 1844 was called Basil Constantine? Who knows, that among the first Columbus of Sparta, Christos Tsakonas- was called Colombus because he  brought  other compatriots from Laconia in the «land of promise «? Who knows, that in 1857 in New York opened the first Greek restaurant,» Peloponnese «and the first Greek newspaper – the royal» Atlantis «- was printed every day in 1894?

Lover of New York, the author gives us a tour in Greeks’ New York throughout the centuries in the form of a richly illustrated album, with texts in Greek and English, photographs, unique –sometimes-documents by celebrities, such as Nureyev, Onassis and Anthony Quinn at the club «Dionysos». By moving some old photo with mustachioed Greek immigrants who drink their coffee and a sign writing at the back, in fluent Greek: «Bank of Lakonia. What jobs did they do? They started selling flowers, vegetables, fruits or ice cream, worked as a glaze. By 1910, 183.000 Greeks had reached the port of New York, from Patras and Piraeus without counting the clandestine. Very soon the so-called rime was born; if two Greeks meet, they will soon own restaurant. Some excelled-the Skouras Brothers, for instance, who owned the film company 20th Century Fox.

The first Greek residents of New York lived in Lower Manhattan, where remains the Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas from 1820, and the in Bronx, where they created the first Greek school, where 400 families still residing expatriates in the poorest neighborhood of New York in Astoria, where they founded a second home. The massive move began in the late 20. The Greeks were organized around the social clubs and the Church, multiply, succeeded, opened schools and, as time was passing by , especially after their heroic resistance during the Second World War, they achieved fancies and they elected their representatives in the political arena.

COMMENTS

  Comments: 1

  1. giorgos kasiotakis

    kai ego apo to bronx eimai kai mou aresei na mathaino gia ton ellinismo tis neas iorkis


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