Ioannis Koundilakis was particularly involved with chronicle writing. His first short story was published in 1884 in the magazine "Estia" and received praise in the relevant competition for the ethnographic short story promoted by Nikolaos Politis. Subsequently, Koundilakis enrolled in the Philosophy School of the University but never managed to obtain his degree. He returned to Crete and was appointed a teacher in Modhi of Kydoania for about a year. During the same time, he wrote articles for the newspaper "Amyna" of Chania. However, his patriotic articles in the local press of Chania and Heraklion caused serious problems with the Turks. Thus, in 1889, he was forced to return to Athens, where he settled permanently.
"First Love" is a masterful apprenticeship book. Written shortly before the author's death in 1920, it describes an incident of unfulfilled love, which simultaneously serves as a wonderful teenage psychology of the transition from childhood to adolescence. Although the book is chronologically set in the 19th century and in a closed rural environment, it seems completely unbound by these conditions. Evidence of this position is the fact that today this story can be read with unwavering interest. This, in turn, happens because the emphasis is not placed on the ethnographic description of the place and customs but on the torment of the souls of the heroes.
The stories included are: "First Love", "When I Was a Teacher", "Eulogy", "The Kerkes", "How the Village Changed", "Dark", "Memories of Women", "The Bell", and "The Innovator".
