Ioanna Karystiani

Ioanna Karystiani was born on September 8, 1952, in Chania, Crete, to parents from Asia Minor. She studied law and pursued a career in sketching and illustration under the name "Ioanna." She worked for the newspaper "Rizospastis," the magazines "Tetarto," "Ena," "Eikones," and in foreign newspapers. She made her literary debut in 1994 with the short story collection "Mrs. Kataki." This was followed by the novel "Little England," which was awarded the State Novel Award in 1998 and was nominated for the European Literary Award and the Balkanika Literary Award. Her next novel, "Suit in the Ground," received the novel award from the magazine "Diavazo" in 2001. She is married to director Pantelis Voulgaris and is the mother of directors Alexandros Voulgaris ("Do You Cry?", "Pink") and Konstantina Voulgaris ("Yupi," "With Sleepy Lights," "Sentimental Waltz").