Informed of the loss of Thanasis Valtinou, the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni made the following statement:

“It was with great sadness that I learned of the loss of Thanasis Valtinos, which leaves a great void in the Greek Letters. Thanasis Valtinos emerged – and was lucky enough to be recognized alive – in one of the greatest figures of our post-war prose. His work, which vividly reflects his rare narrative acumen, taps into collective memory through seemingly insignificant personal stories, validating the author’s ability to engage and capture key broader social and historical contexts through his broader orientations. .

Thanasis Valtinos had the courage to approach, as in the Descent of the Nine, Orthocostas and the Last Varlamis, tragic periods of our recent history, completely freed from stereotypes and even taboos. With Evidence for the 60s, admittedly one of his most emblematic works, on the one hand he proposed an idiosyncratic and original narrative technique and, on the other hand, he shifted the gaze from the big picture of the indeed rich in events, to the micro-history of the unseen of people who experienced them. While with the Synaxari Andrea Kordopati, again starting from the existing personal history, he gave us a great fresco of the early Greek 20th century. Only samples of a work that is characterized by solidity and highlights, with its spread over more than half a century, Valtin’s own attitude towards Art and the author’s debt towards it.

Thanasis Valtinos was a multidimensional creator, both in his subject matter and in his techniques and style. Each of his writings displayed his writing skill and required vigilance, as he did not accept superficial readings. His work, from very early on, was the subject of critical and thorough study. But his imprint on our prose is sure to remain deep and active. This is how we will keep him in our memory.

My sincere condolences to his family and friends».