Yanis Varoufakis in a black shirt and blazer over a blue background
Talks & Debate

Yanis Varoufakis: A Personal History of Resistance

Mon 29 Sep 2025, 19:30
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Join the legendary economist and former finance minister of Greece, Yanis Varoufakis, for a powerful tale of resistance and political awakening: a beacon of hope for dark times.

The motorcycle riding Marxist finance minister became a worldwide icon of the Left when he stood up to the EU during the Greek Debt Crisis, and today he is both the founder of the European grassroots political movement DiEM25 and one of the most exhilarating radical thinkers we have, equally adept at skewering the Big Tech oligarchy and sharing bold and provocative new visions of a just and equal world.

He joins to explore how the great forces of history shape us – and how the resilience and courage of his family, from his mother Eleni to his partner Danae, inspired him on his political journey. In conversation across the UK, with special guest interviewers including Frankie Boyle, he will share both an intimate portrait of his political awakening and offer a thrilling sweep through Greece’s history – from Nazi occupation and communist partisan resistance, to civil war, fascist dictatorship, and tumultuous present-day economic collapse.

Don’t miss this powerful, personal tale of struggle and endurance from one of the most iconic leaders of our time.

Yanis Varoufakis is an economist, political leader and the author of numerous bestselling books: Talking to My Daughter: A Brief History of Capitalism; Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism, which shows how the owners of big tech have become the world's feudal overlords; Adults in the Room, a memoir of his time as finance minister of Greece; an economic history of Europe, And The Weak Suffer What They Must?; and Another Now: Dispatches from An Alternative Present. Born in Athens in 1961, he was for many years a professor of economics in Britain, Australia and the USA before he entered politics. He is co-founder of the international grassroots movement DiEM25 and a Professor of Economics at the University of Athens.

 

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