- 8 - October 2022 -FICTION- Andromache Father’s name: Danube The life of Greek-Romanian author Panait Istrati is not like a novel; it is a novel in itself. The hardships of childhood, the struggle for survival, travels and wanderings, strong friendships and successive loves, the quest for freedom—Istrati recounts all of this in his books with authenticity and the grace of an Eastern storyteller. He lived through the world-historical events of his time (the end of the Ottoman Empire, World War I), embraced the vision of a more just world (the October Revolution), and rubbed shoulders with the most important figures of his day (Romain Rolland, Maxim Gorky, Vladimir Mayakovsky, George Orwell), but more than anything else, he stood by the poor and the oppressed like no other. A name meaning fighter of men, or fighting like men. Andromache, Hector’s wife, is aptly named. After Achilles killed her husband, Neoptolemus killed her son by throwing him from the city walls and then took her back to Greece as a concubine, where she later gave birth to two of his sons. After Neoptolemus’ death, she married Helenus, Hector’s brother, and became Queen of Epirus. A life defined by men, good and bad alike. This is the tragic story of a woman, wife and queen, who stood on the ashes of Troy and found herself having to love what she should wholeheartedly despise. Kostas Akrivos was born in 1958. He worked as a teacher in secondary education. A highly acclaimed author, he has published novels, short stories and anthologies. His works have been translated into Italian, Dutch, Polish and German. Notable works: Pandemonium (2007) • Shortlisted for the 2008 National Book Centre Readers’ Award | Translated into Polish, Italian and German Remember Alfons? (2010) • Shortlisted for the 2010 National Book Centre Readers’ Award, and the 2011 Diavazo Magazine literary Award | Translated into German Pages 344 March 2025
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