Stratis Haviaras (June 28, 1935 – March 4, 2020) was a Greek-American writer and editor who produced work in both English and Greek. He gained particular attention in the United States for his novels When the Tree Sings, which was shortlisted for the National Book Award and named an ALA Notable Book, and The Heroic Age. Across a long career he combined creative writing, translation, and literary editing, building bridges between Greek and Anglophone literature.

Life and bilingual background

Haviaras was born in 1935 and spent his early life in Greece before establishing a long-term presence in the United States. Writing in two languages became a defining aspect of his literary identity: he produced original works in both Greek and English and made efforts to translate and introduce Greek voices to English-speaking readers. His bilingual outlook shaped the subjects and perspectives of his fiction and essays.

Major works

He is best known in English for the novels When the Tree Sings and The Heroic Age. These books attracted critical attention in the U.S. and helped bring his voice to a wider international audience. Beyond these titles, Haviaras wrote short fiction, essays and translations, engaging with personal and collective memory, family history, and themes drawn from Greek history and myth.

Editorial work and journals

Haviaras founded and edited several literary journals, playing an active role in promoting contemporary poetry, fiction and criticism. Notable among these publications are:

  • Arion’s Dolphin
  • Erato
  • Harvard Review

Through these platforms he published a range of established and emerging writers and contributed to transatlantic literary exchange.

Themes, style and influence

His writing often explores exile, memory, identity and the resonance of classical and modern Greek traditions within present-day life. Critics and readers have noted a lyrical yet reflective prose style, attentive to family stories, landscape and the ethical weight of history. As an editor and cultural facilitator he helped shape space for cross-cultural dialogue between Greek and English-language literature.

Haviaras died in 2020. His career is remembered for its bilingual scope, its editorial initiatives, and its contribution to making Greek literary sensibilities accessible to anglophone audiences. Selected works include:

  • When the Tree Sings (novel)
  • The Heroic Age (novel)