Marie Aspioti

Maria-Aspasia (Marie) Aspioti ( el, Μαρία-Ασπασία Ασπιώτη; 29 September 1909 – 25 May 2000), was a distinguished Corfiote writer, playwright, poet, magazine publisher and cultural figure who influenced the literary and cultural life of post-war Corfu. She published the magazine ''Prosperos'' between the years 1949–1954, and ''Lear's Corfu'' in 1965. She was a close friend of Lawrence Durrell and had been awarded an MBE.

Life

Aspioti was born into a wealthy family who lived in the ''Villa Rosa'' mansion in a suburb of the old town of Corfu. She was the daughter of Konstantinos Aspiotis, a man who became wealthy by mass-producing, in his printing shop, a kind of exclusive playing cards illustrated by his grandfather Nikolaos Aspiotis who was a painter. Eventually his company moved to Athens and became ''Aspioti-ELKA'', a well-known printing and publishing company and one of the largest of its kind in Greece.

In 1930 Marie Aspioti published the book ''Corfu'' in French in co-operation with French writer René Puaux. Lawrence Durrell in the introduction of his publication ''Lear's Corfu'' in 1965 mentions:

During World War II she became a volunteer nurse at the Corfu General Hospital. In January 1950 she published the magazine ''Prosperos, editions of Art and Literature of the British Council'', inspired by Lawrence Durrell's work ''Prospero's Cell''.

In Corfu she was the director of the Corfu Branch of the British Council from 1946 to 1955, and was a family friend of Prince Philip. In 1955 she resigned her position as the director of the British Council in protest against the British policies in Cyprus against enosis in trying to suppress Cypriot self-determination. At the same time she returned to the Queen the MBE she had received. She also accused Durrell of betraying his philhellenism for a few coins.

She also wrote poems and theatrical plays. In 1956 her first theatrical play ''O Κουρσεμένος Γάμος'' (''The Pirated Wedding'') was performed in Corfu. Her other literary works were published in ''Prosperos'' magazine and other publications in Corfu.

Later in life, Marie Aspiotis could no longer afford to maintain her ''Villa Rosa'' mansion and although the building became dilapidated she continued living there with her mother.

Works

*''Corfou'', co-authored with René Puaux, Paris, 1930.
*O Κουρσεμένος Γάμος (''The Pirated Wedding'') performed in Corfu in 1956.
*''So Gratious in the Time'', one-act theatrical play, published in ''News Plays Quarterly'', 1949.
*''The two of Desfina'' (Οι δυο της Δεσφίνας) novel, published in 1959.
*''The Palace of Saints Michael and George'' (Το ανάκτορο των Αγίων Μιχαήλ και Γεωργίου) 1964.

References to her works

*''Porfyras'' magazine no. 102 January–March 2002. Dedication to Marie Aspioti.
*Magazine ''Nea Estia'' vol. H No. 93 1 November 1930. Critique of her book ''Corfou''.
*Magazine ''Nea Epohi''. Spring 1960. Critique of her novel ''The two of Desfina''.
*Newspaper ''Eleftheria'' 14 February 1960. Critique of her novel ''The two of Desfina''.
*Newspaper ''To Vima'' 17 April 1960. Critique of her novel ''The two of Desfina''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aspioti, Marie
1909 births
2000 deaths
Writers from Corfu
Greek women poets
Greek women dramatists and playwrights
Members of the Order of the British Empire
20th-century Greek women writers
20th-century Greek poets
20th-century Greek dramatists and playwrights