author
Konstantinos Chrestomanos
1867–1911
A vivid figure in early modern Greek literature, this playwright, novelist, and theater reformer helped bring new energy to the stage. He is also remembered for his unusually close connection to Empress Elisabeth of Austria, which inspired one of his best-known books.
2 Audiobooks
Élisabeth de Bavière, Impératrice d'Autriche Pages de journal, impressions, conversations, souvenirs
by Konstantinos Chrestomanos
Η Κερένια κούκλα: Αθηναϊκό μυθιστόρημα
by Konstantinos Chrestomanos
About the author
Born in Athens in 1867, Konstantinos Chrestomanos was a Greek writer whose work ranged across fiction, poetry, and drama. He studied in Vienna and became widely known there as a Greek language tutor and reader to Empress Elisabeth of Austria, an experience that later shaped his memoir-like book about her.
Back in Greece, he became one of the driving forces behind theatrical renewal. He founded the Nea Skini (New Stage), a company associated with more modern staging and a stronger engagement with contemporary European drama, helping to reshape Greek theater in the early 20th century.
He is also remembered as the author of The Wax Doll, a novel that has remained one of his most lasting literary works. Chrestomanos died in 1911, but his name still stands out in the story of modern Greek letters and theater.