The book by George Stasinopoulos

Searching for Angela

Smyrna – Chios – Athens – Vyronas

published by the Foundation of the Hellenic World,

will be presented at the "Hellenic Cosmos" Cultural Center

on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at 18:30.

The book will be discussed by Amalia Pappa,

Deputy General Director of the General State Archives G.S.A.

A few words about the book:

The author follows the steps of his great-grandmother Angela Vaindirlis and her six minor children in Asia Minor and then in exile, based on three tapes recorded by his grandmother herself, shortly before she died in 1991, with her memories.

At the same time, it sheds light on certain aspects of Greek history and mainly the history of refugees which have not been given much attention until now, such as:

• Private education in Smyrna through the narration of the school life of the older children and the economic life of the city through the commercial activities of the father.
• The way the construction and distribution of houses in refugee settlements like Vyronas was done, as well as their payment by the beneficiaries through the example of the family.
• The processes through which the calculation and payment of compensation to urban refugees for the properties they left in Asia Minor were carried out.
• The action of the American organization Near East in Greece and Asia Minor and the employment it offered to refugee women, such as Angela, by buying their handicrafts.

For the general historical context, research was conducted in libraries and archives both domestically and internationally ‒ among them the General State Archives, the Historical Archive of the National Bank of Greece, the Archive of the League of Nations (UN Archive), and the Swedish State Archives. Field research was also conducted in Asia Minor.

Despite the lack of fictional elements, the book also contains elements of drama, as do all refugee stories.

Biography of author George Stasinopoulos:

George Stasinopoulos was born in Athens in 1967. He studied Economics at the Athens University of Economics and Business and worked for 30 years in the industry. SEARCHING FOR ANGELA is his second book.