Tribute to lyricist Eftychia Papagiannopoulou
Eftychia Papagiannopoulou, originally Hadjigeorgiou-Economou, later Nikolaidou and finally Papagiannopoulou (1893 - January 7, 1972) was the first female Greek lyricist, and the most important of Greek folk song. She began writing lyrics in 1948 and selling them for amounts from 200 to 300 drachmas. But having a great addiction to gambling she lost a lot of money this way. When she wrote the lyrics, she then renounced her copyright. Many of her own lyrical creations became huge successes, with the help of great composers of the time, such as Tsitsanis, Chiotis, Hadjidakis, Kaldaras, etc. Her life was transferred in the form of a book written by her granddaughter, Rhea Maneli, entitled My Grandmother Eftihia this biography inspired the theatrical monologue performed by Nena Mendi in the performance with her full name as the title. In 2019 Eftychia a Greek biographical drama film, written by Katerina Bey and directed by Angelos Frantzis was released. The film won 8 awards, including best film at the Iris Awards 2020 of the Greek Film Academy.
