Nikos A. Papandreou

Nikos Papandreou was born on a Saturday in September 1956, in San Francisco, California. As a diligent student, he acquired various qualifications, both formal and informal: a bachelor's degree in economics from Yale University (1979), a Master's in Public Administration from the Woodrow Wilson School (1981), and a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton (1986). Later, when he began to focus more intensively on writing, he earned his most cherished degree, a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Vermont (1994). He completed his military service in the air force (1986-1987). He taught economics in Greece and the United States, worked at the World Bank for about two and a half years, taught American literature, and for many years conducted statistical analysis for medical researchers. He writes for two Greek magazines, conducts economic and statistical studies, and whenever he has time, he marvels at the vast wonder called the Aegean Sea and the Greek sky. His first literary works were written in English, initially translated into Greek by Errikos Bartzinopoulos and edited by Thanasis Niarchos and Christoforos Liontakis, and later by himself. He has authored five books: the biographical novel "Ten Myths and One Story" (Kastaniotis, 1995; published in the UK as "Father Dancing. An Invented Memoir", Penguin UK, 1996, and in the USA as "A Crowded Heart", Picador USA, 1998; it was a finalist for the "Los Angeles Times First Fiction Award" in 1999; also available in German and Arabic), the short story collection "Thin Line" (1997), the science fiction novel "The Kleptomnemon" (2002), the essay "Andreas Papandreou: Life in the First Person and the Art of Political Narrative" (2003), and the thriller "Days Like These" (2005). His articles, essays, and short stories are published in the USA, Canada, and Greece. (photo: Marilena Stafylidou, 2001)