Prof. Thomas Doulis Collection

In May 2024 the Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection acquired nearly 600 select volumes and 12 linear feet of papers from the library of the late writer and scholar Thomas Doulis. The collection was generously donated by Doulis’ widow, Nancy Ritter Doulis, who also provided generous financial support with the collection. We are grateful to Prof. Peter Bien for facilitating the donation of this valuable collection.

Born in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania in 1931, Doulis graduated from La Salle College (now University) in 1955. He was drafted by the Army in 1957 and served in the Special Warfare School. As a paratrooper there, he wrote the field manual “Unconventional Warfare for the Special Forces,” an experience that informed the writing of his first novel, Path for our Valor. Following his military service, in 1960 he was awarded a MacDowell Fellowship to further his fiction writing. Thereafter he attended Stanford University, where he received his MFA in creative writing in 1962 as a Stegner Fellow. He then taught English at the Philadelphia College of Art from 1962-1968 before receiving a Fulbright award to Greece to study Greek history and literature, and to continue writing fiction. During his stay in Greece from 1968-1970, he befriended numerous contemporary literary figures, a number of whom he corresponded with for years afterward. From 1970-1972 Doulis held a research fellowship at Oxford to continue his scholarly and literary pursuits. After returning to the U.S., he joined the faculty of English at Portland State University in 1972, where he taught courses in fiction, film, and Modern Greek literature and poetry until his retirement in 1999. During his career he received other prestigious fellowships including from the ACLS (1980) and the Seeger Center at Princeton (2002). Thomas Doulis passed away on April 29, 2023.

Doulis authored six novels, including Path for Our Valor (1963), The Quarries of Sicily (1969), The Open Hearth: The First Generation: A Novel of Immigration (2000), City of Brotherly Love: The Second Generation: A Novel (2008), Crossing the Line: A Novel (2015), and The Eye: A Novel (2018). In addition to many journal articles, he also published book-length studies on Modern Greek literature such as George Theotokas (1975), part of the Twayne’s World Authors Series, Disaster and Fiction: Modern Greek Fiction and the Asia Minor Disaster of 1922 (1977), Out of the Ashes: The Emergence of Greek Fiction in the Nineteenth Century: From Katharevousa to Ethography (2003), and The Iron Storm: The Impact on Greek Culture of the Military Junta, 1967-1974 (2011; corr. reprint 2015). Doulis also wrote two pictorial ethnic histories: A Surge to the Sea: The Greeks in Oregon: A Photographic History of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Community of Oregon and Southern Washington (1977); and Landmarks of Our Past: The First 75 Years of the Greek Orthodox Community of Oregon (1983). In 2001 Doulis translated Pavlos Kalligas’ novel Thanos Vlekas, originally published in 1855, into English for the first time, accompanied by a scholarly introduction. This work won the Elizabeth Constantinides translation prize by the Modern Greek Studies Association. Finally, Doulis edited two collections of essays on conversion to Orthodox Christianity: Journeys to Orthodoxy: A Collection of Essays by Converts to Orthodox Christianity (1986) and Toward the Authentic Church: Orthodox Christians Discuss their Conversions: A Collection of Essays (1996).

“We are pleased to be able to pass Tom’s research materials and life’s work in Hellenic history and fiction to the next generation of scholars,” said Nancy Doulis on behalf of her family. “We trust the Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection to safeguard this work and make it available to the interested public.”

The book collection aligns closely with Doulis’ work as a writer and scholar of Modern Greek literature, with various works on novels and novelists, short stories, and literary criticism. Among the many writers represented are Giorgos Theotokas, Gregorios Xenopoulos, Kostis Palamas, Kosmas Politis, Apostolos Sachines, Galateia Kazantzakis, Stratis Tsirkas, Giannis Skarimpas, and Fotos Polites, including signed editions dedicated to Doulis. The journals represented are Kritike, Ta Nea Grammata, To Neon Kratos, Anglo-Hellenike Epitheorese, and Epoches. Doulis’ manuscript collection consists of correspondence, research files, and unpublished writings.

The Doulis collection further enhances the holdings of the Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection in the area of Modern Greek literature and poetry, complemented by correspondence with a variety of scholars and literary figures.