Selection: Michalis Katsigeras

DEMOSTHENES N. VOUTYRAS: The famous short-story writer Demosthenes N. Voutyras died yesterday after a long illness. He will be given a funeral today at public expense, following a proposal by the Education Ministry. The descendant of heroes who took part in the exodus of Mesolongi, he was born in 1872 while his parents were traveling by ship from Istanbul to Piraeus where his father worked as a notary public. He lived in Pireaus until his marriage and there wrote his first stories, which were published in Gerasimos Vokos's Our Magazine. His first book was the novella «Lagas,» in 1901. He later moved to Gargaretta Square, central Athens, and then to a house in Koukaki, where he lived until his death. He had two daughters, Theoni, an artist, and Nafsica, a star at the Greek National Opera. He was awarded the National Prize for Excellence in Letters and Arts and the Medal of the Municipality of Piraeus. His stories have been translated and published in foreign anthologies and magazines. Many articles by foreign critics have been devoted to his work. A total 32 of his books are in circulation, but there is much more yet unpublished material.