Penelope Delta
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Penelope Delta | |
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Native name | Πηνελόπη Δέλτα |
Born | Penelope Benaki (Πηνελόπη Μπενάκη) 24 April 1874 Alexandria, Khedivate of Egypt |
Died | 2 May 1941 Athens, Greece | (aged 67)
Occupation |
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Spouse | Stephanos Deltas |
Children | 3 |
Parents | Emmanouil Benakis (father) Virginia Choremi (mother) |
Signature | |
Penelope Delta (Greek: Πηνελόπη Δέλτα; 24 April 1874 – 2 May 1941) was a Greek author. She is widely celebrated for her contributions to the field of children's literature. Her historical novels have been widely read and have influenced popular modern Greek perceptions of national identity and history. Through her long-time association with Ion Dragoumis, Delta was thrust into the middle of turbulent early-20th-century Greek politics, ranging from the Macedonian Struggle to the National Schism.
Early life
Delta was born Penelope Benaki (Greek: Πηνελόπη Μπενάκη) in Alexandria, in the Khedivate of Egypt,[1] to Virginia (née Choremi) and the wealthy cotton merchant Emmanouil Benakis.[2] She was the third of six children, her two older siblings being Alexandra and Antonis Benakis, whose Tom Sawyer-like mischiefs she immortalized in her book Trellantonis; her younger siblings were Constantine, who died at the age of two, Alexander, and Argine.[citation needed]
Marriage
The Benaki family temporarily moved to
Writing career
Delta moved to
In 1913 the Deltas returned to Alexandria yet again, and in 1916, settled permanently in Athens. At this time, her father, Emmanuel Benakis, had been elected
Her long correspondence with
In the meantime she published her three major novels: Trellantōnēs (Crazy Anthony; 1932), which detailed her mischievous elder brother's
While Penelope Delta received credit for transcribing the memories of that particular war, the actual narratives were collected in 1932–1935 by her secretary Antigone Bellou Threpsiadi - herself a daughter of a
During the daytime, Delta famously forbade her grandchildren from visiting her while writing. She would, however, spend the entire evening with family. It is said that in lieu of bedtime stories, Delta would read to them whatever she had managed to produce during the day.[citation needed]
Later life
During the final year of her life, in the midst of advancing paralysis, she received the diaries and archives of her lost love, Ion Dragoumis. These particular documents had been entrusted to her by Ion's brother, Philip. She managed to dictate approximately 1000 pages of commentary on Dragoumis' work, before deciding to take her own life. She committed suicide by taking poison on 27 April 1941, on the very day which
Descendants
The Delta mansion was inherited by her three daughters, Sophia, Virginia, and Alexandra, who added a guesthouse they named "Sovirale", after the initial letters of their first names. Virginia married politician Alexander Zannas, and their daughter Lena was the mother of contemporary politician Antonis Samaras; their son, Pavlos (Paul) Zannas (1929–1989) was a prominent art critic as well as Modern Greek translator of Marcel Proust's "À la recherche du temps perdu". In 1989, Alexandra, then the last living Delta daughter, bequeathed the mansion to the Benaki Museum.
Works in English translation
- Secrets of the Swamp, translated by Ruth Bobick, Peter E. Randall Publisher, Portsmouth, NH 2012, ISBN 978-1931807876
- In the Heroic Age of Basil II: Emperor of Byzantium, translated by Ruth Bobick, Peter E. Randall Publisher, Portsmouth NH 2006, ISBN 978-1931807524
- A tale without a name, translated and illustrated by Mika Provata-Carlone Publisher Pushkin Press, London 2013 ISBN 978-1782270287
References
- ^ a b "Conference about Penelope Delta at the BA". Bibliotheca Alexandrina. April 5, 2009. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ "Biography of Penelope Delta". Benaki Museum. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
- ISBN 9780198159742. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
- ^ Paul Stephenson (2003). The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-Slayer, Cambridge University Press. page 120
- ISBN 9781850657156. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
- ^ a b Battersby, Eileen (25 January 2014). "A visit to the court of King Witless". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 April 27, 2019.
External links
- Works by Penelope Delta at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Penelope Delta at Internet Archive
- Works by Penelope Delta at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)