Famous Greek author Menos Koumandareas was found dead in his apartment at 3 Zakynthou Street, Kypseli, at dawn on Saturday. The 83-year-old writer had marks on his face and appeared to have been struck before dying though his flat’s door did not bear any marks of forced entry. Police sources say that someone had selectively searched through his personal belongings.

The Greek Police are turning their attention to people who knew the writer well and who had spent time with him prior to his death. It is believed that the person who had been responsible for the death was someone that the author was familiar with.
The time of death is placed roughly at around 1 a.m. The coroner’s report is expected to give more details.

His last book was released on Friday by Topos publications and was a publication of his correspondence with author Vasilis Vasilikos.

Born in 1931, Athens, the great author is considered one of the most significant Greek writers of the second postwar generation. He did not complete university studies and worked for twenty years at shipping and insurance companies. He began to write for Tahydromos magazine in 1961 and published his first short stories in 1962, “Ta Mihanakia” (The Pin-Ball Machines).

His work has been published in many Greek literary periodicals. He was awarded the State Prize for Short Story in 1967 and 1997 and for Novel (1975 and 2002). From 1982 to 1986, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Greek National Opera.

Here he is reading his own work –