25 October 2001
7/2001 |
Commemorative Issue
Loukis Akritas
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Cyprus |
| Loukis Akritas, one of the most remarkable novel writers of the 1930 generation and a prominent politician, was born is 1909 in Morphou and died in London in 1965. He graduated from the Pancyprian Gymnasium in 1925 and the following year from the Pancyprian Teachers College in Nicosia. He served as a teacher in Morphou and in the villages Syngrasi and Kelaki. In 1930 he settled in Athens where he worked as an editor for the newspapers "Estia" and "Proia". In 1944 he published the newspaper "Kathimerina Nea" (Daily News) and later in "Ellinika Chronika" (Hellenic Chronicles) as well as the magazine "World, Science and Life". In 1951, he was elected a Member of Parliament under Nikolaos Plastiras party and in 1963 and 1964 a Member of Parliament with the Centre Union. As an undersecretary of Education with the George Papandreou government, he introduced the Educational Reform. During the 1950s, he served as a member of the Parliamentary Committee for the promotion of the Cyprus issue and thus actively demonstrated his love and interest for Cyprus. He published three novels: A young man with good references (1935), The Plain (1936) and the Armatoli (Gendarmes – 1947). The first one conveys the drama and the struggle of young people through difficult conditions, while in the second, he demonstrates in a realistic manner the rural life in Cyprus as well as the primitiveness of its people. Finally, the Armatoli synthetically records the Greco-Italian War (1940-1941). The Postal Services honour the memory and the work of Loukis Akritas by releasing a commemorative stamp. Text: Lefkios Zafiriou.
Source: Department of Postal Services, Republic of Cyprus. |
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