With the Gods

It has been an unusual December. I found myself at a big left-wing event in Athens, at the invitation of the Nicos Poulantzas Institute. They had just published a Greek language version of my book, a collection of essays by the aforementioned Poulantzas. I arrived on the 18th of December, having left a freezing and snow-covered London very early in the morning. Athens turns out not to be so cold--indeed, it never gets below freezing. This takes a little getting used to but by the end I was walking around in the sun with my t-shirt on. The university area bears the marks of the anarchists who occupy various parts of the city (see this photo on the right): it had recently been the anniversary of the December 2008 riots.

The event was to commemorate thirty years since Poulantzas died. There were lots of papers, mostly in Greek, and I presented a dull thing I hastily put together. But it was marvelous to meet

people who knew him, hear what people thought about him and listen to tales of his exploits. There were hundreds of people there! To be honest, it rather renewed my faith in some radical ideas and got me thinking there might be more to study. Nice, too, to see some an old friend who took me to dinner later. The event ended with a piano song by a communist friend of Poulantzas, a composer and a well-known talent in Greece, singing a piece he wrote after hearing of his friend's death. Alas, as a member of the communist party which had fallen out with Poulantzas in the 1970s, he was asked never to sing it. So it got a rare outing on this occasion. A very Greek song, lots of intense, emotional masculinity. Everyone loved it.

I spent the Sunday before my flight exploring the Acropolis, just next door to my hotel.

A stunning bit of work, even in its ruins, with the Pantheon perched majestically on its top. It helped that it was turning out to be a beautiful morning, hence the t-shirt. The stone looks otherworldly in that light, even if three quarters isn't there anymore. From the top you can see right across the city and the landscape. To be honest, the city isn't much to admire; it's enormous but looks like a milky spillage from up high. You can

also see the other hills and even the sea from atop the Acropolis.

Just down the hill there is also the Agora, the market place and location of ancient Athen's bustling democratic life. The temple of Hephaestus, too. Delicious.

A four hour flight later and I was back in the icy darkness of Godless England.

PS These photos were all taken with my iphone.