“Memory Rehearsal” – Eleni Sikelianos’s Book on Early 20th-Century LGBT History and the Legacy of Eva Palmer
American poet Eleni Sikelianos explores the life of her great-grandmother Eva Palmer, her lesbian relationships in Paris, and the revival of the Delphic Festivals.
In May 2026, City Lights Books published Memory Rehearsal in English. Its author is the American poet and writer Eleni Sikelianos, known for her experimental cross-genre texts, ecopoetics, and explorations of family history.
The publication is a study of the life and legacy of the writer’s great-grandmother – the American theatrical figure Eva Palmer. In 1901, Palmer left the life of a privileged New York socialite and moved to Paris with her lover, the writer Natalie Barney. The two American women found themselves at the center of Parisian lesbian literary circles, where they attempted to reinterpret the work and life of the ancient Greek poet Sappho. Early European modernism of that time saw in the classical past an opportunity for the sexual and creative emancipation of women.
Later, Eva Palmer’s life took a sharp turn: she moved to Greece, where she married the poet Angelos Sikelianos, who became a national hero of the country. Together, they organized the revival of the ancient Delphic Games, hoping to pave the way to peace through theatrical performances and art. These large-scale festivals had a significant impact on modern Greek culture, although they ultimately led Palmer to financial ruin, and her marriage fell apart.
In her book, Eleni Sikelianos reconstructs this remarkable journey, weaving together prose, poetry, imagined theatrical texts, archival documents, and family photographs. The work combines family memoir, LGBT history, and art history, allowing the author not only to rescue the figure of Eva Palmer from obscurity but also to reinterpret her own heritage, shaped by both distinguished ancestors and complex modern experiences.