Year 10 student of the British International school of Athens, Campion, Dimosthenis – Dimitrios Despotidis has just released his first poetic compilation under the title ”Searching for my footsteps” published in Greek and English.

The Greek teen won the first prize in the International Poetry Competition of the ”Never Such Innocence Foundation” in London last year, standing out among 4,000 participants from 44 countries.

The launch of the Greek edition was held on 9 October at the Hall of the Athenian Association in Plaka, where 14-year-old Dimosthenis was announced as the youngest Literature Director of the organisation International Action Art and an exofficio member of the Athenian Association.

The cover of the book depicts the lighthouse of Andros, where the young creator hails from, representing as he sees it “the transition from darkness to light.”

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“The lighthouse of Tourlitis in the capital of Andros, Chora, has been built in 1887 and it is the only lighthouse in Europe, that is being built on a rock, in the sea […] As the lighthouse of Tourlitis in the capital of Andros, remains silently on a cliff, no matter how difficult the circumstances are, illuminating the path of the seafarers for almost more than 120 years, as a beacon of hope and tranquility, in the same way it symbolizes for me the patient strength and the transition from darkness to light.”

The collection consisting of 46 poems, is under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy (who was prefaced the compilation) as well as the Club for UNESCO of Piraeus and Islands and the International Action Art.

“The selection of poems is a culmination of many diverse and disparate elements that have influenced my early childhood, till today. It is also the culmination of many painstaking efforts during the Covid-era that all humanity was and is facing till today,” says Dimosthenis.

“Its main chapters are related to my life’s beginning, the years of my childhood, seeking for my identity, school life, transition to puberty, Easter at the island, Summers in Andros, (where I come from), the Woman of Andros, the life of the Seafarer, in the world of Tik Tok and Covid-19, Self-knowledge, Friendship and Treason, Family, General Findings, the soul of Aviators and 200 years since the Revolution commenced. Therefore, poems are included with reference to 1821.”

A tribute to the celebration of the International Greek Language Day is also included in the compilation, reflecting the Greek teen’s aspiration to assist in promoting the Hellenic language and culture.

“My aim is to encourage young children of my own age and above, to participate in all aspects of Greek life with consistency, not only through the every-day learning of the Greek language, which is considered the mother of all languages and the cornerstone of every intellectual and balanced individual, but also through the acquisition and dispersion of cultural awareness,” he says.

The publication ”Searching for my footsteps” is available for purchase via this link.