Fey Folk: A Tale from Skiathos

ALEXANDROS PAPADIAMANDIS

Translated by David Connolly

Generally recognized as one of the foremost Greek prose writers of the modern period, Alexandros Papadiamandis holds a special place in the history of modern Greek letters, but also in the heart of the ordinary Greek reader.

Fey Folk is characteristic of Papadiamandis’s work. Its characters are quaint, simple-hearted folk living their humble lives in accordance with centuries-old traditions and customs, delightfully described by Papadiamandis with both reverence and humour. The setting is the hinterland of his native island of Skiathos with its intoxicating vegetation, its hillsides, springs and ravines, where the belief in spirits and the supernatural is deeply rooted in the consciousness of the otherwise God-fearing and devout inhabitants.

The ‘saint’ of modern Greek letters… Papadiamandis wrote with graphic realism and unequalled passion.
— Times Literary Supplement

The greatest Modern Greek prose writer. 
— Milan Kundera