All about Zakynthos

He was born at the part of Constantinople called “Phanari” in 1867 and spent his childhood in Zakynthos. In 1883 he was registered at the University of Athens to study Physics and Mathematics, but abandoned his studies to start writing and became one of the very few writers of the period who succeeded in earning a living by writing. Apart from writing literature, he was also a literature critic and researcher. He succeeded Georgios Drosinis as director of the magazine dedicated to literature called Hestia Illustrated, which was renamed New Hestia and from 1927 until today continues to present the work of new talented Greek writers, translators, critics and researchers promoting Modern Greek Literature.

In 1896 Gregorios Xenopoulos started contributing to the magazine Diaplasis Ton Paidon (meaning “The Formation of Children”). Apart from the literature he was also interested in writing for the theatre, where his first play Psychopateras (meaning the Stepfather) was put on stage in 1895. He collaborated with “New Scene” of Konstantinos Christomanos, and with the two leading actresses of Greek theatre of the time, Kyveli and Marika Kotopouli. At his theatrical plays we can see the anatomy of the class divisions and attitudes of the Zakynthian society. We can revel at his characters and their European finesse, education, musical talent and at the idioms of the Venetian dialect, so prominent in Zakynthos, through a vast variety of scenes and plots.

He became member of the Academy of Athens in 1931. For his recognition as a person, and not only as author, we have as evidence several letters sent to him. He died in Athens in 1951.