"Papadiamandis is the greatest prose writer of modern Greek literature," wrote Seferis in 1943; a few years later (1952) he included him among the great Greek poets. This dual characterization is indicative of Papadiamandis's writing.

A poetic work that happens to be written in prose, or prose of poetic texture, the work of the author from Skiathos has posed a challenge and a fertile field for criticism. Therefore, an essential selection of texts for this work was necessary.

This anthology includes 45 texts (in complete or excerpted form) from the vast bibliography on Papadiamandis. An introduction to the reception of his work is provided, along with a brief chronological index of his life.

The selection was made based on the representativeness of the texts (reviews that cover the entire range from 1899 to the present day, belonging to as many literary and critical approaches as possible, including as many types and titles of Papadiamandis's works as possible, etc.), the inclusion of both positive and negative critiques, the value and the dialogicity (not a juxtaposition of opposing texts, but texts that broadly converse with each other, forming an indicative history of the reception and highlighting the questions raised by Papadiamandis's text in various periods).

A brief chronological list of Papadiamandis's short stories and an analytical bibliography of studies on Papadiamandis's work over the past twenty-five years is also included.

[Excerpt from publisher or edition presentation text]