Petros S. Spandonidis

Petros S. Spandonidis was born in Romania in 1890 to Greek parents from Melnik, Macedonia. In 1905, he settled permanently in Thessaloniki and quickly became involved in the city's intellectual life. He earned a doctorate from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Thessaloniki. He began publishing critical essays in newspapers and magazines in 1926. Spandonidis was one of the founders of the magazine "Macedonian Days" (1932-1939). He passionately engaged with the aesthetics of modern Greek literature, producing numerous studies and critiques of modern Greek creators. His study "Nikos Kazantzakis, the Son of Anxiety" (1960) was awarded the First State Prize. Other works include: "Depth and Surface" (a drama), 1932, "Uncertain Things" (short stories), 1933, as well as studies such as "Introduction to Ancient Greek Tragedy," 1935, "Science and Literary Criticism," 1947, "Dionysios Solomos," 1947, "What is Literature," 1947, "The Klephtic Song and Archaic Art," 1952, "Prologue to Euripides' 'Bacchae'," 1954, "Prologue to Euripides' 'Trojan Women'," 1954, "Modern Poetry in Greece," 1955, "Forms of Anxiety," 1958, "The Theme of Criticism," 1959, "Alexandros Papadiamantis, the Spectator of the Earth," 1960, "The Battle for Essence," 1962, "Greekness," 1962, "Konst. Chrysomallos or Dream and Anxiety," 1962, "Humanism and Technique," 1963, "Tragedy and the Sense of the Tragic," 1963, among others. He also studied epic poetry and klephtic songs. For Spandonidis, criticism was a true passion in life. His oversight was broad, and his insight and research ability were strong. He passed away in Thessaloniki in 1964.