Summary of The Murderess
Set on the Greek island of Skiathos, “The Murderess” follows an elderly woman whose life has been shaped by poverty in a deeply patriarchal society. In a moment of impulse, she kills her newborn granddaughter, believing that she is sparing the child from a life of suffering as a woman. As further deaths of young girls follow and suspicion mounts, she is pursued by the authorities and gradually descends into psychological and spiritual torment.
Reasons to read The Murderess
“The Murderess” is a classic of modern Greek literature and a powerful psychological study of poverty, social injustice, and the position of women in traditional Greek society around 1900. Rather than portraying its protagonist as simply evil, Papadiamantis explores how a lifetime of hardship and inequality leads her to justify the unthinkable. The novella has been adapted many times for the theatre, opera, television, and cinema. Born and raised on Skiathos, Alexandros Papadiamantis drew heavily on the island’s landscapes, customs, and dialects in his work. His family home on Skiathos is now a museum. He is best known for “The Murderess” and for his short stories, some of which were published in English as “Tales from a Greek Island”.
Setting: Skiathos (Greece)
Original title: Η Φόνισσα
Year of publication: 1903
Nr of pages: 144
