The "Vardianos at the Sporca" (1893) tells the story of the old woman Skewos, who disguises herself as a man and becomes a vardiános (guard) on the sporca (infected, cholera ships) in order to save her son.
The historical core of the tale is the cholera that struck Europe in 1865 and the strict precautionary measures that the Greek government took at that time. However, the tale does not emit a scent of death, as the Akropolis (13.8.1893) astutely noted in its related commentary: It is about choleraic memories. Far from any fear. In the "Vardianos," grim and dreadful images of places deserted by cholera do not unfold. Despair and mourning of cholera do not manifest themselves in this story [...].
The "Vardianos" is not a patchwork of desperate images; it is a tale that has a basis in choleraic memories, yet depicted through the charming and cheerful pen of the author. Mr. Papadiamantis's philosophy is cheerful, and if anywhere in the "Vardianos" a sad image is presented, it is immediately followed by another pleasant, enjoyable, and laughter-inducing one.
In its entirety, this new tale will undoubtedly captivate its readers, and as the days go by there is no shortage of talk about cholera; the "Vardianos" will serve as a cheerful counterbalance to the fear and sorrow generated by reading the news of the dreadful disease's advances.
In this edition, the "Vardianos" is accompanied by five other tales from the same period (1892-1894): "The Chalasochorites," the well-known satire of modern Greek electoral morals, "The Blindfold" and "The Teacher-Mother," both satires of the school morals of the time, "Nautical Shipwrecks," focusing on greed and smuggling, and finally, "The Nostalgic," a masterful elegy for the love we lost and the life we did not live.
