20 YEARS FROM THE DEATH OF ANTONIS SAMARAKIS

Antonis Samarakis was one of the most prominent representatives of Greek post-war literature. Born in Athens in 1919, he studied law at the University of Athens. During the Axis Occupation, he took part in the National Resistance, was arrested by the Nazis and sentenced to death, but managed to escape. His first major literary success came in 1954 with his short story collection Hope wanted. His works, and most notably the novel The flaw (1965), have been translated into over 30 languages, winning several awards in Greece and abroad. Peace, freedom, social justice, democracy and human rights, as well as his love of children and youth, are central to his prose and to his rich social and humanitarian work in Greece and abroad. In 1968-1969 he led an expert mission of the International Labour Organisation to African countries and in 1989 became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. In Greece, he inspired and organised a “Youth Parliament”, which he chaired every year.