Andrew Calimach
Encyclopedia
Andrew Calimach is a Romanian-American
author. He is a matrilineal descendant of the Callimachi noble family of Moldavia
and is known for his writings on the subject of same-sex relations in Greek mythology
- the myths of male love - censored from the beginning of the Christian era up until the end of the 1900s. He published his research in 2002 under the title of Lovers' Legends: The Gay Greek Myths
. The work has been widely reviewed and nominated for the 2003 Lambda Literary Award
.
Three years later he collaborated with Israel
i director Agnes Lev, Timothy Carter and Steve Gorn
in the production of a dramatized version of the myths, released as a CD with the title of Lovers' Legends Unbound, a work intended by Calimach to complete the process of bringing these major yet little-known myths back to life.
, which they had initially supported out of idealism. He was a friend and co-religionist of Allen Ginsberg
, both students of Chögyam Trungpa
, the Tibetan Buddhist
teacher. He has also studied and practiced Mazatec shamanism
. His spiritual practices have informed his approach to Greek mythology and helped him recognize the spiritual elements in the stories.
An independent scholar
and polyglot
who writes on gender studies and other social issues, Calimach runs workshops on the gay Greek myths. He divides his time between New York and Bucharest
, and continues his studies and writing.
Romanian-American
A Romanian American is a citizen of the United States who has significant Romanian heritage. For the 2000 US Census, 367,310 Americans indicated Romanian as their first ancestry, while 462,526 persons declared to have Romanian ancestry...
author. He is a matrilineal descendant of the Callimachi noble family of Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
and is known for his writings on the subject of same-sex relations in Greek mythology
Works
Calimach researched and compiled the homoerotic domain of Greek mythologyGreek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
- the myths of male love - censored from the beginning of the Christian era up until the end of the 1900s. He published his research in 2002 under the title of Lovers' Legends: The Gay Greek Myths
Lovers' Legends: The Gay Greek Myths
Lovers' Legends: The Greek Myths is a 2002 book by Andrew Calimach, which presents and discusses the Greek myths of male love. This work evokes the world view of two-to-three thousand years ago...
. The work has been widely reviewed and nominated for the 2003 Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Awards are awarded yearly by the US-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works which celebrate or explore LGBT themes. Categories include Humor, Romance and Biography. To qualify, a book must have been published in the United States in the year current to the award...
.
Three years later he collaborated with Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i director Agnes Lev, Timothy Carter and Steve Gorn
Steve Gorn
Steve Gorn is a master bamboo flautist and saxophone player.Gorn has performed Indian classical music, jazz and new American music on the bansuri bamboo flute and soprano saxophone in concerts and festivals throughout the world...
in the production of a dramatized version of the myths, released as a CD with the title of Lovers' Legends Unbound, a work intended by Calimach to complete the process of bringing these major yet little-known myths back to life.
Biography
Born in Romania, Calimach moved to the United States of America with his parents in 1966, as a result of their disillusion with the intellectual, ethical and economic results of communismCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, which they had initially supported out of idealism. He was a friend and co-religionist of Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
, both students of Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche was a Buddhist meditation master and holder of both the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages, the eleventh Trungpa tülku, a tertön, supreme abbot of the Surmang monasteries, scholar, teacher, poet, artist, and originator of a radical re-presentation of Shambhala vision.Recognized...
, the Tibetan Buddhist
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
teacher. He has also studied and practiced Mazatec shamanism
Mazatec shamans
The Mazatec Shamans are known for their ritual use of psilocybe mushrooms. Some shamans on occasion use other plants, such as Salvia divinorum and morning glory seeds...
. His spiritual practices have informed his approach to Greek mythology and helped him recognize the spiritual elements in the stories.
An independent scholar
Independent scholar
An independent scholar is anyone who conducts scholarly research outside universities and traditional academia. Independent scholars play an especially important role in areas such as art history and other humanities fields...
and polyglot
Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
who writes on gender studies and other social issues, Calimach runs workshops on the gay Greek myths. He divides his time between New York and Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, and continues his studies and writing.