Nikos Bakounakis was born in Patras in 1956. He graduated from the Athens Law School and the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris. He holds a PhD in History and Civilizations from EHESS. He is Professor Emeritus of Journalism Practice and Storytelling Techniques at the Department of Communication, Media, and Culture at Panteion University in Athens. In 1997, he founded the literary supplement “Books” for To Vima newspaper’s Sunday edition in Athens. From 2020 to 2024, he hosted the podcasts “Books and Authors” and “The Book Lovers” for Lifo magazine in Athens. He is an Officer of the Order of Academic Palms (Officier de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques) of the French Republic. He has published many articles and thirteen books in Greece and abroad, covering topics such as journalism, the press, ideas, mentalities, and cultural and social behaviors.  He was awarded the State Prize for Literature (2016) and the Athens Academy Prize for essays (2008, 2016). His latest book, Gutland (May 2024), reconstructs the history of a multinational community created in the 19th century by Bavarian businessman Gustav Clauss in the Northern Peloponnese, centered around viticulture and wine production.