Alki Zei facts for kids

Alki Zei (Greek: Άλκη Ζέη) (December 15, 1925 – February 27, 2020) was a famous Greek writer. She wrote many books, especially for children and young adults. Her stories are loved by readers all over the world.

About Alki Zei

Alki Zei was born in Athens, Greece. She loved learning and studied many things. She went to Athens University to study philosophy. She also learned about drama and screenwriting.

Life as a Refugee

From 1954 to 1964, Alki Zei lived in the Soviet Union. She was there as a political refugee. This means she had to leave her home country because of political reasons. In 1964, she and her family came back to Greece.

However, they had to leave again in 1967. This was because a group of military leaders took control of the government. This kind of rule is called a junta. Alki Zei stayed in Paris during this time. She returned to Greece only after the military government ended.

Her Writing Journey

Alki Zei started writing at a very young age. When she was in junior high school, she wrote plays for puppet theatre. Her first novel was The Tiger in the Shop Window. It was published in 1963. This book was inspired by her own childhood. She spent some of her early years on the island of Samos.

After this, she wrote many more books for children. In 1987, she wrote her first novel for adults. It was called Achilles' Fiancée. Her books have been translated into many different languages. This means children and adults all over the world can read her stories.

Awards for Her Books

Alki Zei's book Constantina and her spiders (also known as Tina's Web) won a special award. It received the Greek IBBY prize. This award is for the best book for older children.

She was also considered for two very important international awards. These were the 2004 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Literature. These awards celebrate great children's authors.

Several of her books also won the Mildred L. Batchelder Award. This award is given to books that are translated into English and published in the United States. The books that won this award were Wildcat Under Glass (1970), Petros' War (1974), and The Sound of the Dragon's Feet (1980).

Main Works

Here are some of Alki Zei's well-known books:

• The Purple Umbrella
• Grandpa the liar (O Pseftis Pappous)
• Near the railway tracks (Κοντά στις ράγες)
• The Tiger in the Shop Window (a.k.a. Wildcat Under Glass) / Το Καπλάνι της Βιτρίνας (1963)
• Petros' War / Ο μεγάλος περίπατος του Πέτρου (1971)
• Achilles' Fiancée / Η αρραβωνιαστικιά του Αχιλλέα (1987)
• Uncle Plato / Ο θείος Πλάτων (1975)
• Hannibal's Shoes / Τα παπούτσια του Αννίβα (1979)
• Constantina and her spiders (a.k.a. Tina's Web) / Η Κωνσταντίνα και οι αράχνες της (2002)

Awards and Honors

Alki Zei received several important honors for her work:

• Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, 2015 (from France)
• Gold Cross, Order of Honour, 2015 (from Greece)