Sotiris Patatzis

Sotiris Patatzis (1914-1991) was born on the island of the Messini province in the region of Messinia. He lost his father at the age of six and experienced a deprived childhood. He graduated from high school in Kalamata in 1932 and enrolled in the Law School of the University of Athens. However, due to financial difficulties, he was forced to interrupt his studies and took exams to join the Police Academy. He served in Livadeia with the rank of sergeant, but after the German occupation, he deserted and joined the resistance, enlisting in the E.L.A.S. organization. He returned to Athens after the liberation, where he lived until his death. He collaborated with the magazines O Tachydromos and Oikogeneia and worked professionally in literary translation. He was a member of the Society of Playwrights and the Society of Writers. He was honored with the National Resistance Award (1946 for "Bloody Years"), the award from the New Herald Tribune's world short story competition (1950-1951 for the short story "Mermaid of the Depths"), and the First State Short Story Award (1981 for "Into the Chaos"). Sotiris Patatzis belongs to the post-war generation of Greek prose writers. Starting with "Bloody Years," a representative example of Greek prose focused on the National Resistance, and culminating in his creative journey with the novel "Drunken City," he dedicated his entire body of work to exploring the impact of the events of the German occupation and the civil war on the post-war social reality in Greece. His writing is characterized by a highly personal style, marked by subtle irony and a pessimistic view of the future. For more biographical details on Sotiris Patatzis, see Manolis Gialourakis, "Patatzis Sotiris," Great Encyclopedia of Modern Greek Literature 11. Athens, Haris Patsis, n.d., Alex Ziras, "Patatzis Sotiris," World Biographical Dictionary 8. Athens, Ekdotiki Athinon, 1988, and Takis Karvelis, "Sotiris Patatzis," Post-war Prose; From the War of '40 to the Dictatorship of '67 VI, pp. 194-216. Athens, Sokolis, 1988. (Source: Archive of Greek Authors, E.KE.VI.).