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HOTEL POROS C0-FOUNDER TYSON TATANA IN CONVERSATION WITH JOSH HICKEY
The Hydra Book Club celebrates literature connected to Hydra, sharing the work of writers that are entwined with the island, past and present. With travel being a key element of both the Hydra Book Club and Hotel Poros, the collaboration was born from the idea of travel through literature and its ability to transcend time, connecting people and places.
Hotel Poros and Josh Hickey, founder of the Hydra Book Club, share the idea of creating communities by presenting Greek stories, culture and the countries unique beauty. While in Hydra this summer we sat down with Josh to discuss the Hydra Book Club (HBC), Hydra Island and our collaboration.
TYSON: How did Hydra Book Club come about and how has it evolved?
JOSH: The HBC is the result of both my research into the literary heritage of this island, and also my desire to contribute to the cultural life of this community.
Hydra has a very high level of cultural programming each year - it is truly an international summer art destination. Part of the legacy of this island both past and present is its community of writers, whose work I have now anthologised and present in the Historical Archives Museum. It is important to note that while the HBC is in fact a book store - it is presented within the institutional context of the Museum so it is also an exhibition and a community center where writers and readers can interact.
The project is a real snowball and the involvement and support of the community is what is helping it evolve into the literary center of the Island.
TYSON: What is it about Hydra that attracts writers and creatives?
JOSH: Quite simply, friendship.
Writers and artists both Greek and foreign began to come to Hydra to be with friends, namely the painter Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas who was the first to invite his artist friends here. These friends invited friends, and a community was born.
It is our friendships that anchor us to the island still today.
TYSON: Hydra has ties and connections all over the world, is there any person or story past or present that has resonated with you?
JOSH: It is true Hydra has an aura that radiates beyond its shores, and there are too many stories to count.
This year I have been looking into the life and friends of the painter I mentioned, Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas. I am very touched by his generosity and desire to share his life on hydra with his friends. It is incredible to see how the bond between he and his friends, and also his friends among themselves created the first wave of this « aura » we feel today.
TYSON: For anyone who has never been to Hydra Island, how would you describe the energy?
JOSH: Hydra is an island with no cars or any other motorised vehicles. This is the most important influence on the energy of the Island. This affects the pace of the island, and also the way we socialise. As we are all on foot, it is much easier to cross the paths of one another, we are not isolated in cars but always out, together, walking.
The energy is that of a very friendly neighbourhood.
TYSON: What book are you currently reading?
JOSH: I am a literary curator, which really means I travel down a rabbit hole of connected literary texts. One always leads to another and the correspondence of text is what excites me. I am now reading Daniel Mendelsohn’s THREE RINGS , an exquisite essay linking Homer’s Odyssey, the struggle of writing and memory, and exile personal and literary.
TYSON: What book should everyone read?
JOSH: The one Hydra book everyone should read is Peel Me a Lotus, by the Australian writer Charmian Clift. The perfect distillation of life on this island.
TYSON: What came to mind when we proposed the collaboration?
JOSH: You guys are making me cool! You also distill the essence of the Greek Summer just like some of the works I present.
It is important to me to present my literary projects as accessible, inclusive and also cool. Books in a museum can sound boring when in reality it is anything but - our friendship and collaboration shows other aspects of the club and the project.
Of course I also thought of the great connection Hydra has with Australia - some of the best writers were Australian - Charmian Clift and George Johnston.
TYSON: What does a perfect day in Hydra look like?
JOSH: I’m a runner so a good start to the day is a run along the coastal path out to Palamidas and back, there is a brutal yet fun 38 km trail race that happens each April which is a great time to visit the island!
Hydra doesn’t have sand beaches and few organised beaches in general, we like to dive and swim off the rocks in Kamini. The most spectacular beaches are on the back side of the island and are accessible best by boat and definitely worth exploring.
The cultural season in Hydra runs through the end of October, the best exhibitions are: The Hydra School Project. It is a group show of greek and international artists many with a link to Hydra such as Brice Marden, Erwin Wurm or Laercio Redondo. Currently the exhibition is housed in the Merchant Marine Academy. Deste Foundation Slaughterhouse project, every summer the Foundation hosts a series of contemporary art exhibitions on the island, including the assignment of the space to a single artist or team invited to stage a unique, site-specific exhibition, this year it is Jeff Koons.
There are many good restaurants on Hydra Island, but the soul of the island is Xeri Elia- Douskos taverna which has been in the Douskos Family hands for nearly 200 years. Leonard Cohen has written a song about it…..
TYSON: What are your packing essentials for coming to Hydra?
JOSH: My three essentials: My books, my trail running shoes and of course my Hotel Poros swim briefs which have become my summer uniform. Hydra has an understated elegance, in the evening people do dress up a bit, but there are no codes - no rules. I always pack a selection of cool shirts, mostly Comme des Garcons, to wear with my Hotel Poros summer trunks.
The HOTEL POROS x HYDRA BOOK CLUB collaboration is available on hotelporos.com and the Hydra Book Club in Hydra, Greece
