The Municipality of Spetses, in collaboration with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and Inkas Films, organized a literary event—a tribute to John Fowles, the most significant British novelist of the 20th century, featuring a screening of the documentary “The Return of the Magus.”

The event was organized as part of the collaboration between the Municipality of Spetses and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, which began with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding one year ago. This event marked the beginning of a cycle of collaboration that harnesses knowledge through a series of joint initiatives in the fields of culture, education, research, the environment, and sustainable development.

John Fowles taught as an English professor at the Anargyrios and Korgialeneios School on Spetses in the early 1950s, an experience in Greece—and especially on Spetses—that left an indelible mark on his life and work.

The event took place at Dimitris-Petros Botasis’s Villa Yiasemia in Agioi Anargyroi, where Fowles found inspiration and wrote The Magus, a multifaceted and polyphonic novel that brought him fame a few years later.

Fowles’s daughter, Anna Christy, graced the event with her presence.

The opening remarks were delivered by the Mayor of Spetses, Ms. Eugenia Frangia, and the event was introduced by Ms. Kirké Kefalea, professor of Comparative Literature at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Next to speak was Fowles’s adopted daughter, Ms. Anna Christy, who received a commemorative plaque from the Mayor of Spetses. Finally, the producer and granddaughter of Petros Botasis, Ms. Lillet Botasis, spoke about the documentary.

This was followed by a screening of the documentary “The Return of the Magus.”

The event was honored by the presence of members of the Spetses Municipal Council, the President of the Anargyrios School, the President of the EKOMED Board of Directors, as well as a large number of island residents who enjoyed watching the documentary for the first time on their island.