Skopelos Pavlos Nirvanas

Pavlos Nirvanas (whose real name was Petros K. Apostolidis) was a multi-skilled author born in the Russian Mariupol in 1866. He was the son of a Skopelitan merchant and he loved this island a lot. At a young age, Nirvanas and his family moved from Russia to Piraeus, where he received his first education. Later, he graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Athens and joined the Royal Fleet as a doctor. By the time he retired from service in 1922, he had received the rank of general chief doctor and served as chairman of the Navy’s Healthcare Committee and as Head of Department in the Ministry of Maritime Affairs under the government of Eleftherios Venizelos.

At the same time, Pavlos Nirvanas pursued his passion for literature and wrote poems, short stories, novels, plays, essays and chronicles, as well as literary criticism. He was in touch with some of the most prominent writers of his time and maintained a close friendship with the brilliant writer Alexandros Papadiamantis, who declared that Nirvanas’ works were lessons for mankind. In terms of style, Nirvanas belonged to the circle of the acclaimed poet Kostis Palamas, and was influenced not only by Aestheticism and Symbolism, but also by the philosophy of Friedrich Nitzsche. He used to spend many summers in Skopelos, and the beauty of the island inspired him to write about its habits and customs. His medical treaties were also praised, and Nirvanas is considered one of the pioneers of psychology and psychiatry in Greece. In 1928, he became a member of the Academy of Athens, but he eventually died of pneumonia nine years later.

Today, the Municipality of Skopelos has given Nirvanas's name to a street to honor him, while his residence now houses the Museum of History of Skopelos.