Alekos Lidorikis

Journalist, writer and playwright

Biography

Alekos Lidorikis (March 1907 – 28 March 1988) was a Greek journalist, writer and a great playwright. He was the son of the playwright and politician Miltiades Lidorikis.

He was born in Athens at March 1907. He attended courses in Sorbonne and wrote the thesis “Théâtre Grec Contemporain”. As a journalist (critic and chronicler) he collaborated from 1930 with many newspapers (the largest Athenian newspapers of the time). He also collaborated with many Greek and foreign magazines. Ατ 1933 made its official debut in the theatre.

From 1945 to 1960 he stayed at the USA where he worked in the studios of “Twentieth Century Fox” better known as “20th Fox” and for television. At the same time he is a journalist for «National Herald» New York and is a correspondent for the Athens newspapers «Ta Nea» (1948-49 and 1956-58) and «Akropolis» and «Apogeumatini» (1952-1960). His interviews with the political figures of America at that time (Eisenhower, Stevenson, Acheson, Hoover, etc.) are considered historic. The new stars of Hollywood (Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Susan Hayworth, Elvis Presley and many others) “speak” through Lidoriki’s interviews to the Greek audience.

In 1960 he came and settled permanently in Athens and began working with all the major newspapers of the time. But it does not stop the journalistic missions. The “Tour of the World in 12 days” takes him to Europe, Asia and America and then: a two-month mission “America 1970”. Lidorikis talks to political figures, writers, artists, Americans and Greek Americans, writes his impressions and analyses the problems (drugs, inflation, environmental pollution). Again missions to European countries and just before “Attila” a trip to Cyprus. Tour throughout the island, interviews with all stakeholders and with Archbishop Makarios on the Cyprus problem. In 1973 mission to the Soviet Union, a combination of journalism and theatre conference. In 1975 a new newspaper was born, the «Eleftherotypia». He works with it from the beginning and a few months after its birth, he gives it a great success: The expedition to Siberia, the newspaper’s first major expedition, which is also the first expedition of a Greek journalist to the remote and vast region of the Soviet Union. It goes as far as the Irkutsk and his impressions and interviews are immediately published in a book. From 1982 to 1987 he collaborates with the newspaper«Ethnos».

More than 25 of his plays have been performed abroad. But apart from the theatre and journalism, he also wrote prose, poems and reviews. Among his plays that have been performed are: “Law” (1929), “Emergency exit” (1942), etc.

He was a member of the Society of Greek Playwrights and other intellectual associations. He had taken part in more than 20 missions abroad to international spiritual meetings. He was awarded by the Academy of Athens having received two First State and one National Award, as well as four medals and other distinctions. Many of his plays have been translated and adapted for major stages abroad (USA, Paris, Budapest, Serbia, etc.).

He spoke French and English and was a permanent resident of Athens.