The Petrakis Universe

Staged reading by the American Thymele Theatre, directed by Stephen Diacrussi.
Harry Mark Petrakis introduces the evening.

The Petrakis Universe is based on the life and work of American writer Harry Mark Petrakis whose exuberant and sensitive works deal with the lives of Greek immigrants in urban America. In the play, written by Dimitri C. Michalakis, Petrakis visits his old Chicago neighborhood and runs across the scene of his own life and the characters in his own fiction: a strongman who gets shorn in an autumnal wedding, the owner of a diner who hopes to recoup his losses with a feast of cooked turkeys, an old peanut vendor who philosophizes about the glory that once was Greece, and many more.

Harry Mark Petrakis, a longtime Chicago resident and the son of a Greek Orthodox priest, is the author of numerous novels, short stories, memoirs, and essays. Among his many honors is a two-time nomination for the National Book Award.