Deeply thoughtful yet witty, rational but also lyrical, skeptical yet with a touch of Promethean romanticism, Nikos Dimou is one of the most multifaceted and cultivated Greek authors.

The truly literary virtues of his work unfold impressively in "The Heatwave Diary," something between a prose piece, a diary, and a collection of short essays. As Athens is struck by a heatwave that borders on ecological catastrophe, the author, locked in the basement of his home, tries to come to terms with the idea of death.

In the end, the ransom that temporarily drives death away from him is the death of his beloved cat.

"The Heatwave Diary is one of the most fertile literary texts of recent decades." (Thanasis Triaridis)

"For him, writing is not the apotheosis of narcissism but an imperative need of life." (Nikos Davvetas)