Papadiamantis: The Athens years | A literary tour

An artistic self-guided audio walking tour in the center of Athens following the steps of Greek Novelist, Alexandros Papadiamantis. Discover credible and original stories written by top local professionals. Take your tour now and enjoy it instantly on your smartphone device.

Papadiamantis: The Athens Years is a hunt for a lost treasure, but a treasure unlike any other you have ever searched for. Alexandros Papadiamantis was an influential Greek novelist and short-story writer whose work proved seminal in Modern Greek literature. His prose is virtually impossible to translate as the magic of his language is based on the unparalleled combination of two different forms of Greek, so his work makes one regret not knowing Greek.

Papadiamantis was born on the island of Skiathos but moved to Athens as a young man in search of higher education and employment. He remained desperately poor throughout his life, always depending on the kindness and support of his many influential friends to make ends meet. Despite his popularity and prolific pen, he seemed to care little about money and refused the high fees often commanded by his work. He never married and spent his life observing the world of the poor that provided most of the inspiration for his short stories and novellas. He was also very religious and was often to be found late at night chanting in church, a passion that earned him the moniker “kosmokalogeros” (a monk of the world). Neglectful of his appearance and his health, in later life he returned to his native island destitute and died of pneumonia.

Τhis tour follows Papadiamantis during the many years he spent in Athens. As you learn about his life and read excerpts from his work referring to Athenian landmarks, you will visit the University of Athens, his humble abode in the neighbourhood of Psirri where poor peasants and islanders spent their lives stacked in untidy and dirty buildings, and Monastiraki Square with the old mosque where Papadiamantis had the joy of seeing the ghost of a woman dressed in a long white veil. Then you will pass through affluent Kolonaki to Dexameni, where you can enjoy a cup of traditional Greek coffee in the same establishment where Papadiamantis used to spend his hours observing life in the neighbourhood.