"I write for those who chase utopia"
But what is the writer's goal when writing something? "I wanted to tell something that resembled life. Even in the hardest times, the darkest times, people are drawn to humour. It's the only way they can survive... Beyond that, I wanted to avoid anachronisms. I had to tell a story set between 1959-1965 and narrate it by seeing things as they were seen at that time, not with today's knowledge... I want to write about the world, not about personal stories: For my family, my lover or my therapist. I'm interested in utopia. People who want to change the world. And I'm looking for the right fictional form to make it happen..."
All the names of his heroes have symbolism in them. Seeking to place a counterpart hero among the emigres from the countries of the Eastern Block, he chose a Greek communist whom he named Petroula in honour of Sotiris Petroula**, about whom he had studied a lot…
One member of the audience pointed out that Petroula's murder took place a few meters from where Ianos is today!
As for whether he is ultimately optimistic: "I'm not very optimistic. The world doesn't leave much room for hope. On the contrary, I remain 'incurable', 'incorrigible'. So I remain a member of the 'Club'...".
*Ianos Bookstore
**Sotiris Petroulas (1943 - 21 July 1965) was a Greek student who was murdered during a demonstration in Athens. Mikis Theodorakis wrote a song about his assassination.