“Auguste Corteau was born in 1979 in Thessaloniki” is written on the front pastedown of his best-selling novels in Greek. Born as Petros Hatzopoulos in Thessaloniki’s southeast Kalamaria suburb, his French-sounding pen name is influenced by August Strindberg and the romantic and realist French writers of the 19th century.
“The Book of Katerina” places Corteau’s mother at its epicenter. The Greek writer uses fiction as a vehicle for his mother, after her death, to narrate the events of her life, her torments and her struggles with clinical depression and bipolar disorder.
Written with a sardonic sense of humor, the 2013 novel sold over 50,000 copies (by Kastaniotis Publications) and was successfully adapted for theater by Yorgos Nanouris and actress Lena Papaligoura, opening the discussion about mental health issues in Greece.
Translated from the Greek by Claire Papamichael and edited by the acclaimed travel writer Jennifer Barclay (Falling in Honey, An Octopus in my Ouzo, and Wild Abandon), “The Book of Katerina” launches in English this June, published by Wales-based Parthian.
Auguste Corteau is one of the most prominent LGBTQIA+ figures and activists in Greece. With his husband, they were one of the first same-sex couples to sign the Cohabitation Pact in 2016.
The author will present his translated novel at the Mani Literary Festival this October.
