In the short story collections Opa-opa, Blatimos and Kakó Anílio, Konstantinos Dominík, a writer of the younger generation from Pieria, weaves poetic images of folkloric terror, drawing on the distinctive local dialect of his region. Through his narratives, the supernatural and the fantastical intersect with folk tradition, creating a unique literary universe.

The stage monologue SARMANTZA, based on stories from both collections, takes place in a ritualistic space where the body and matter become carriers of memory. Giannis stands over his mother’s open grave, at the edge of the cemetery, known as Sarmantza due to its slightly sloping terrain. In the half-light, Giannis holds a baby bottle and a hand grenade—life and death weighed in his hands. Oblivion or memory? Forgiveness or revenge? Light or darkness? Redemption or condemnation? He wavers, torn between opposing forces until the final moment.

Elena Mavridou’s direction—set in an abstract landscape of decay, a landfill, and a place of oblivion, a “rejection” of flesh—follows a trajectory of climax. From a state of slowness and ritual mourning, the hero, through reflections on the past, moves toward a delirious form of atonement. Standing over the open pit of death, memories of his life come alive: fragments of images, shadows of people, moments unearthed from the soil. Simultaneously, Giorgos Mavridis’ musical framework accompanies the action with archetypal sounds of loss, within the eerie and ephemeral stage environment created by Paris Mexi. Giannis Tsortékis embodies the hero’s passions and undertakes a journey of memory, restoration, and purification.

The short story collection Opa-opa, Blatimos was published by Enypnio Editions (2022).
The short story collection Kakó Anílio was published by Ikaros Editions (2024).
SARMANTZA is a theatrical monologue written by the author for the Athens and Epidaurus Festival and is being presented for the first time at Peiraios 260 as part of the Athens and Epidaurus Festival on June 26, 27, and 28, 2025.