Alexis Stamatis

Alexis Stamatis
Αλέξης Σταμάτης
Stamatis in 2012
Born(1960-07-19)19 July 1960
Athens, Greece
Died20 July 2026(2026-07-20) (aged 66)
Athens, Greece
EducationMoraitis High School
Alma mater
OccupationsWriter, screenwriter, playwright
SpouseEva Simatou
Children1
RelativesBetty Arvaniti
(mother)
Writing career
LanguageGreek
SubjectLiterature
Notable works
Notable awardsNational Endowment of the Arts, International Literature Award for American Fugue First Award of The Circle of the Greek Children's Book- IBBY Greece, for his children's book Alkis and the Labyrinth

Alexis Stamatis (Greek: Αλέξης Σταμάτης; 19 July 1960 – 20 July 2026) was a Greek novelist, playwright, and poet. Amongst other work, he published nineteen novels, six books of poetry, and a number of plays. As of 2017, he had his own column at the Greek newspaper VIMA. He taught creative writing at various institutions.

Life and career

Son of Kostas Stamatis, an architect, and Betty Arvaniti, a film actress, Stamatis studied architecture at the National Technical University of Athens and took postgraduate degrees in architecture and cinematography in London.

Stamatis published nineteen novels. His second novel, Βar Flaubert (Kedros, 2000), a critically acclaimed bestseller in Greece, has been published in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Serbia, and Bulgaria. Bar Flaubert has been adapted as a screenplay by the author and the director Vassilis Douvlis. Stamatis also published six books of poetry. His second book, The Architecture of Interior Spaces, was awarded the Nikiforos Vrettakos Prize in 1994. Τwo collections of his poems have been translated in Great Britain. He wrote the libretti for two musical pieces performed in Megaron Mousikis and the Chora theatre. In 2004, he participated in the International Writing Program of the University of Iowa through a Greek Fulbright Artists & Art-Scholars Award.

In 2007, the US publishing house Etruscan Press won the 1st International Literary Award from the US National Endowment for the Arts to publish his novel American Fugue. Stamatis presented his book in the US in 2008. His tour included around 15 universities all over the country, including Harvard, Yale, New York University, San Francisco State University, and Brown. .

He wrote the following plays, among others: Last Martha, Monologue for the Cultural Olympiad; directed and performed by Dimitris Ikonomou (2003), Dakrygona (Tear Gas), 2010, and Kill Your Darlings, 2012, a three-act play, staged at the Theatre of Kefallinias Street and directed by Aris Troupakis, Melissia, National Theater of Greece 2012 (play reading), Midnight in a perfect world, Monologue (2013) directed by Aris Troupakis and staged at Theatro Technis Karolos Koun, Innerview, one-act play, staged at Southbank Centre, London (2013). for the event "Greece is the word!", Innerview, a three-act play, which was later staged at the Michael Cacoyiannis Foundation, 2014–15.

In 2009 he was a writer in residence in Shanghai, invited by the Shanghai Writers Association. He represented Greece in various Book Festivals and seminars all over the world. He was working for many major Greek newspapers and magazines. Ηe taught creative writing at the Hellenic American Academic Foundation (Athens College – Psychico College) and in various other institutions.

On 19 October 2013, he took part in the event "Greece is the Word" at the Southbank Centre London.[citation needed]

Stamatis was interviewed by Victoria Hislop and a short play of his, "Innerview", was staged with the actors Eva Simatou and Nikos Poursanidis. He was married to the actress Eva Simatou, and they had a son, Ermis who was born in 2019.

Stamatis died on 20 July 2026, at the age of 66 after a struggle with a rare blood disorder.

Novels

Novellas and short stories

Novel translations

Poetry collections

Poetry translations

Children's books

Theatrical plays

Theatre, opera and film

Theatre

  • 2002–2003 – Look at me. Opera Theatre Group, Chororoes Theatre; directed by Theo Abazis
  • 2002 – Last Martha. Monologue for the Cultural Olympiad; directed and performed by Dimitris Ikonomou
  • 2008 – Last Martha. Monologue; Theatre of Kefallinias Street, directed by Vicky Georgiadou and performed by Christos Stergioglou
  • 2009 – Genesis. Two Monologues (The Errant Boy & Genesis), Chora Theatre, directed by Avra Sidiropoulou and performed by Christos Stergioglou and Rinio Kyriazis respectively
  • 2010 – Dream a little dream of me, one-act play, directed by Ektoras Lygizos, performed by Dimitris Makalias, Michalis Oikonomou, Danai Papoutsi for the "24 Hour Plays Athens" (Chora Theater)
  • 2010 – Dakrygona (Tear Gas), play, Theatre of Kefallinias Street directed by Aris Troupakis.
  • 2011 – Thalamos, one-act play, Theatre "Synetgeion" directed by Giolanda Markopoulou, and performed by Maria Aiginitou, Despoina Kourti, Charis Charalambous (part of the play "Exodus")
  • 2012 – Kill Your Darlings, play, Theatre of Kefallinias Street directed by Aris Troupakis
  • 2012 – Melissia, National Theater of Greece directed by Eleni Boza (reading)
  • 2013 – Midnight in a perfect world. Monologue, directed by Aris Troupakis and performed by Nikos Arvanitis at Theatro Technis Karolos Koun (Athens Art Theatre)
  • 2013 – Innerview One-act play. Staged at the Southbank Centre, London, for the event "Greece is the word!" Performed by Nikos Poursanidis and Eva Simatou, directed by the writer and the actors
  • 2014 – Innerview Three-act play. Staged at the Michael Cacoyiannis Foundation, directed by Lilly Meleme performed by Nikos Arvanitis, Eva Simatou, produced by Lycophos productions and Giorgos Lykiardopoulos
  • 2018 – Kosmos Gonia Staged at the Second Stage of Kefallinias Street Theatre, directed by Aris Troupakis performed by Nikos Arvanitis, Nikos Alexiou
  • 2019 – Melissia Five-act play. Staged at the National Theatre of Greece, directed by George Paloumbis, performed by Betty Arvaniti, Nikos Arvanitis, Nikos Hatzopoulos, Mari Kechagiogou, Nefeli Kouri, Kostas Vasardanis
  • 2019 – Blue Room Play reading at the Theatro Technis, directed by Manos Karatzogiannis, performed by Anna Fonsou, Lena Papaligoura, Eva Simatou, Nickos Vatikiotis
  • 2021 – White Room Staged at the Stathmos Theatre, directed by Manos Karatzogiannis, performed by Smaragda Smyrnaiou, Peggy Stathacopoulou, Eva Simatou, Dimitris Tsiklis

Opera

  • 2000 – Socrates. Megaro Mousikis, music by Theo Abazis, directed by Victor Ardittes
  • 2000 – A walk in Hades. Orchestra of Colours, Chora Theatre, music by Theo Abazis.

Film

  • 2002 – Bar Flaubert. With the film director Vassilis Douvlis Stamatis co-wrote a screenplay based on his novel Bar Flaubert sponsored by the program "GRAFI" of the Greek National Film Center
  • 2007–09 – Storm. Original screenplay for a Haris Patramanis film
  • 2014 – Light director-screenwriter Vassilis Douvlis. Script editor.

Ipad applications

Awards

Notes

  1. ↑ "Greek Novelist Alexis Stamatis at LMU". Greek Reporter website. 23 October 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  2. ↑ ""Innerview" του Αλέξη Σταμάτη σε σκηνοθεσία της Λίλλυς Μελεμέ". mcf.gr (in Greek). 2 November 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  3. ↑ "Greece is the word". March 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "Innerview" (review by Howard Loxton), British Theatre Guide.
  5. ↑ "Novelist Alexis Stamatis dies aged 66 | English Kathimerini". www.ekathimerini.com. 21 July 2026. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Ο Άλκης και ο λαβύρινθος".