Georgios I. THanopoulos

Georgios I. Thanopoulos was born in Sarakini, Iraia, Arcadia. He studied Medieval and Modern Greek Philology and Folklore at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Ioannina. In 1988, he was awarded a Ph.D. from the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Athens. He served as a philology teacher and high school principal in secondary education. In 1999, he contributed to the writing of the book "Agricultural Tradition and Folk Art," Athens 2000, commissioned by the Pedagogical Institute in the series "Technological Vocational Schools." This educational book marked the first inclusion of folklore as a subject in the secondary education curriculum. From 1999 to 2001, he gained scientific experience in "Open and Distance Learning" and participated in the writing of the book: "Public and Private Life in Greece II." Modern Times Volume A'. Modern Folk Life. Hellenic Open University (School of Humanities), Patras 2002. In 2006, he was elected as a Lecturer in Folklore at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Athens (Department of Byzantine Philology and Folklore), where he currently teaches. His research interests include the oral and written nature of folk literature and tradition, the poetics and social context of folk songs, the poetic relationship of Digenis Akritas Escorial with heroic songs (Acritic), contemporary folk poetry (both printed and electronic), folk culture in modern Greek literature, and the intersection of tradition and modernity.