Michael Katakis
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Michael Katakis (born 1952), is a writer, photographer,
Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...
of the
Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
and manager of Ernest Hemingway's literary estate. His photographs are represented in many institutions including the
National Portrait Gallery (United States) The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded in 1962 and opened in 1968, it is part of the Smithsonian Institution. Its collections focus on images of American artists, politicians, scientists ...
. Katakis was born in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, an only child. His father emigrated from
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
shortly after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. His mother, who was the daughter of Greek immigrants, died when he was a boy. Midday, ABC Classic FM.
Interview with Michael Katakis. Accessed 25 September 2015.
Katakis began writing about 1975. He later started taking photographs and has always considered himself "a writer who happens to take pictures." He travelled extensively throughout the world, making contact with a wide range of cultures and geographic locations. He visited many countries including
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
,
West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
,
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
,
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
,
Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
,
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
,
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
, the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
,
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
,
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. During this time he married Kris L. Hardin, an
anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...
, and they spent 25 years travelling together, collaborating on many projects and producing exhibitions and books derived from their work.Kris Hardin, Michael Katakis donate work to Britain
SFGATE, 8 January 2011. Accessed 24 September 2014.
Kris Hardin Obituary
Michael Katakis Web site. Accessed 24 September 2014
In 2009 Michael Katakis and Kris L. Hardin donated thousands of pages and photographs of their workThe Agony Column Live with Rick Kleffel
August 20, 2011. Accessed 24 September 2014.
to the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
. The couple gave interviews, which were placed in the Oral History section of the library. In 2011 an exhibition, 'Michael Katakis Photographs', was held in the Folio Gallery of the library to coincide with the publication of "Photographs and Words," authored by Katakis and Hardin. The book featured photographs from the projects 'The Vietnam Veterans Memorial', 'Troubled Land: 12 Days Across America' (a portrait of the US in the days after the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
) and 'A Time and Place Before War', which documented life in Sierra Leone before the outbreak of
civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
in 1991). Details of these projects and the time spent in Sierra Leone by Katakis and Hardin, were covered in the interviews.Michael Katakis and Kris Hardin Recordings.
Accessed 24 September 2014.
In 1999 Katakis was working with Ernest Hemingway's second son, Patrick Hemingway, on a collection of essays, when Katakis accepted an offer by Hemingway to manage Ernest Hemingway's literary estate.The Times of India, 8 Sept 2013.
Accessed 23 September 2014.
The work of Michael Katakis has been translated into several languages including Greek, Bulgarian and Chinese and his photographs have been collected by institutions including the
National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...
in
Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, the
Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
, the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
and Stanford University's Special Collections Department. In 1999 Katakis was elected
Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...
of the
Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
, and in 2011 was presented to Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
. In 2012 he was appointed Ambassador for the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
and elected Director of Americans for the British Library.


Bibliography

* ''The Vietnam Veterans Memorial'', 1988, Photographs by Michael Katakis, Essay by Kris L. Hardin, Ph.D., New York: Crown Publishers Inc. * ''Amnesty International Calendar, 1988'', Cover Photograph: Sierra Leone by Michael Katakis, Golden Turtle Press, California. * ''The Aesthetics of Action: Continuity and Change in a West African Town'', 1993 by Kris L. Hardin with photographs by Michael Katakis, 1993, Washington, DC.: Smithsonian Institution Press. * ''Sacred Trusts: Essays on Stewardship and Responsibility'', 1993, Edited by Michael Katakis, Illustrations by Russell Chatham, Mercury House, San Francisco. * ''Expedition'', "Representing Africa: Whose Story Counts?", 1993, by Kris L Hardin Ph.D. with photographs by Michael Katakis, The University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Volume 35, No.3, 1993. * ''Excavating Voices: Listening to Photographs of Native Americans'', Edited and with an Introduction by Michael Kataris, 1998, University of Pennsylvania Museum Publications. * ''A Time and Place Before War: Images and Reflections from a West African Town'', Photographs by Michael Katakis, Introduction by Kris Hardin, Ph.D., 2002, Bozeman, Montana: Sapere Press. * ''Despatches'', 2008, Foolscap Press, Santa Cruz, California. *''Traveller: Observations from an American in Exile'', 2009, Burton & Park, San Francisco. * ''Traveller: Observations from an American in Exile'', Greek language edition, 2009, Kastaniotis Editions, Athens. * ''Traveller: Observations from an American in Exile'', Bulgarian language edition, 2009, Uniscorp Publishers, Sophia. * ''Traveller: Observations from an American in Exile'', Chinese language edition, 2011, Yilin Press, Beijing. * ''Photographs & Words'', 2011, by Michael Katakis with additional text and materials by Kris L. Hardin), London, England: The British Library. * ''A Thousand Shards of Glass'', 2014, Simon & Schuster, London.


External links


Michael Katakis Web Site.
Includes essays and many photographs. Accessed 24 September 2014.
SFGATE, 8 January 2011.
Kris Harden and Michael Katakis working together. Accessed 24 September 2014.
Cerise Press, Fall/Winter 2009/10, Volume 1, Issue 2.
Michael Katakis discusses his work, his photography and his life. Accessed 25 September 2014.

Michael Palin Meets Michael Katakis. Accessed 25 September 2014.
Simon and Schuster.
Video in which Kataris discusses his book ''Traveller.'' Accessed 25 September 2015.
ABC Radio—Late Night Live.
Video interview with Michael Katakis, 9 September 2014. Accessed 25 September 2104.
ABC Radio–Books and Arts Daily.
Managing Hemingway's Legacy, 17 September 2014. Accessed 25 September 2014.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Katakis, Michael. 1952 births Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society American photographers American non-fiction writers Writers from Chicago Living people American people of Greek descent