Perhaps due to the significant Christian holiday, or perhaps under the influence of foreign-language counterparts, the usually pessimistic Papadiamantis gives us a moving Christmas story with a happy ending in "The American" (1891).
The hero of the story, Giannis of uncle Stathis from Mothonio, like Christodoulis from the story "All Around the Lake," breaks the repetitive cycle of fate and seeks his fortune in the distant land of promise. However, the voice of his birthplace within him overcomes him, and he returns with nostalgia and curiosity to his homeland, initially as a foreigner, until in a typical scene of recognition he regains his identity within the community and is restored as he deserves.
In the preface of the edition, the wise Papadiamandologist N.D. Triantafyllopoulos presents similar narratives about the return of the immigrant, while a small, homonymous text by Nina Dimitriadou is published as an epilogue. The illustrations and designs by Nikola Dimitriadis adorn the texts with the appropriate modesty.
(Dimitris Angelis)
