The Nikos Kazantzakis Museum gladly accepted the invitation of the International Society of Friends of Nikos Kazantzakis and participates as a co-organizer of the historical events that will take place in New York under the general title: "Crete and Nikos Kazantzakis meet New York and the New World". The series of events, which will take place between 21-25 October 2024, will include a main event at the UN and an exhibition at the Consulate General of Greece, activities in Greek schools and a literary evening. The Nikos Kazantzakis Museum will be represented in the USA by the President of the Museum's Board of Directors, Professor Michael Taroudakis and the Director, Mrs. Marilena Milathianaki. 


In the action "Nikos Kazantzakis meets Greek-American youth" the first implementation of the Museum's new "Educational Museum Kit for Nikos Kazantzakis" will take place in three Diaspora schools in New York. The museum kit is traveling to the United States for the first time specifically for this activity and will remain there to be made available to Greek-speaking schools in the USA.

At the literary conference "Nikos Kazantzakis: The Cretan universal writer and traveller" to be held at Queens College, the Museum's mini documentary "I am a free man" will be screened, while the President of the Museum's Board of Directors, Prof. Michael Taroudakis, will present a paper on the topic "Nikos Kazantzakis and cultural diplomacy". In addition, the President of the Museum's Board of Directors will address the main event of this trip, which will take place at the UN Headquarters Building under the title "Nikos Kazantzakis: A World Traveller".

The Museum's presence at the events will conclude with the presentation of its Mobile Exhibition entitled "Nikos Kazantzakis: his life and work", artistically curated by Dimitris Kalokyris and adapted and translated into English especially for this purpose. The Mobile Exhibition will be exhibited at the Consulate General of Greece in New York as part of the exhibition "Artifacts and Elements of the Life and Work of Nikos Kazantzakis".

With these various events, the International Society of Friends of Nikos Kazantzakis and all the co-organizers are fulfilling a great wish of the author himself, which was to travel and get to know the New World. Besides, Kazantzakis himself was planning to establish an Institute of Modern Greek Culture in America with Pantelis Prevelakis. This trip and the establishment of the Institute never took place. However, his work was translated into English early on and was hugely popular with the American public.

Download here the full programme of events


Co-organization: International Society of Friends of Nikos Kazantzakis International Society, New York Branch of the ISFNK & Greece Branch of the ISFNK, Permanent Greek Mission to the United Nations, Consulate General of Greece in New York, The Hellenic American Project, Queens College, CUNY , Nikos Kazantzakis Museum (Myrtia, Crete), The Nikos Kazantzakis Estate (Niki Stavrou), Pancretan Union of America, Society of Greek Writers of America (EELA) 

Under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Secretary of Expatriate Hellenism and Public Diplomacy 

With the financial support of the Region of Crete, the family of Manolis E. Velivasakis (Cultural Crete - USA) and George Stasinakis 

Communication Sponsor: Cosmos FM - Hellenic Public Radio New York