1956: Nicos Nicolaides, one of the most prominent figures in modern Greek literature and art, passed away in Cairo yesterday at the age of 71.
Nicolaides had been born in Nicosia and orphaned as a child.
He was raised by his sister and other relatives. Despite having only an elementary education, his determination to learn had led him to Athens, where he pursued painting under great difficulties.
Soon after, he began writing and contributed some of Greece’s finest literature, including ballads, lyric prose, poetry, novels, and short stories.
His “Book of the Monk,” written in lyric prose, took 30 years to complete and was widely regarded as his greatest work. Greek critics placed him on the same literary level as the renowned Constantinos Kavafis.
A devoted lover of his birthplace, Nicolaides frequently visited Cyprus.
Some of his paintings are owned by Cypriots, while the majority are housed in the Zappeion in Athens.
Nicolaides spent a significant part of his life in Egypt. In his final three years, he was hospitalized in Cairo and lived without sight.