Alexandros Papadiamantis (Greek: Ἀλέξανδρος Παπαδιαμάντης; 4 March 1851 – 3 January 1911) was an influential Greek novelist and short-story writer. Papadiamantis was born in Greece, on the island of Skiathos, in the western part of the Aegean Sea. The island would figure prominently in his work. His father was a priest. He moved to Athens as a young man to complete his high school studies, and enrolled in the philosophy faculty of Athens University, but never completed his studies. He returned to his native island in later life, and died there. He supported himself by writing throughout his adult life, anything from journalism and short stories to several serialized novels. From a certain point onwards he had become very popular, and newspapers and magazines vied for his writings, offering him substantial fees. Papadiamantis did not care for money, and would often ask for lower fees if he thought they were unfairly high; furthermore he spent his money carelessly and took no care of his clothing and appearance. He never married, and was known to be a recluse, whose only true cares were observing and writing about the life of the poor, and chanting at church: he was referred to as […]

Bourtzi is a tiny peninsula that divides the Skiathos port into two distinct parts. It used to be a fort, which was built by the Gizi brothers who ruled over Skiathos back in 1207. Bourtzi was bordered by impregnable walls and there were two towers located to the left and right of the main gate. Presently, it is not feasible to establish the height of the parapet from the ruins. Archaeologists are of the opinion that inside the fort there used to be a small church – the church of Agios Georgios, who was the guardian deity of the Venetians. The church was in all probability built by the Gizi brothers. Due to the presence of that church, Bourtzi was popularly referred to as the “Kastelli tou Agiou Georgiou” or the “Castle of St. George”. The impregnable fort was ruined in the year 1660 with the occupation of the island by admiral Fransesco Morozini. In the year 1823 the inhabitants of the island were able to drive away Topal – pasha. After the deliverance, the foremost lazaret of the island started functioning in Bourtzi. In the year 1906, a school was built in the middle of the peninsula, which was […]