Penelope Delta: The Greek Patriot Who Chose Silence Over Nazi Occupation

It was a Sunday connected 27th April 1941, erstwhile German troops entered Athens. Greek writer Penelope Delta committed termination that aforesaid day. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

On April 27, 1941, Penelope Delta, the celebrated Greek author, decided to instrumentality her ain beingness conscionable arsenic Nazi Germany’s forces occupied Athens.

Delta was good known for the children’s books that she had written passim her life. Aspects of her ain puerility and household were utilized arsenic starting points for her stories, including for her Romiopoules (“Young Greek Girls”) trilogy that she finished toward the extremity of her life. 

A miss from Alexandria

Born successful Alexandria, Egypt successful 1873, Delta was the girl of a affluent merchant named Emmanouil Benakis, a aboriginal politician of Athens. 

Alexandria, past portion of the Khedive of Egypt, was a historical halfway for Greek culture. The metropolis received its sanction from Alexander the Great successful April 331 BC and Greeks continued moving to the metropolis during the 18th and 19th century. Greeks came to unrecorded successful the metropolis up until the 1950s, with a tiny assemblage inactive determination today.

Penelope Delta is known arsenic 1 of Greece’s most-beloved writers. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The household yet moved to Greece aft the British concern of Egypt. In Athens, Delta would get her iconic sanction aft marrying Stephanos Delta, a salient businessman from 1 of the Phanariot families of Constantinople.

Her matrimony to Delta produced 3 daughters, but she was besides linked romantically to different antheral who would profoundly impact her life, Ion Dragoumis. Delta had concisely moved backmost to her hometown of Alexandria erstwhile she archetypal met Dragoumis, who was past serving arsenic vice consul for Greece. Delta ne'er divorced her husband, but the romanticist narration with Dragoumis would extremity successful 1912.

Dragoumis aboriginal became an instrumental fig successful the conflict for Macedonian independency from the Ottoman Empire. Deciphering his galore papers passim her beingness would beryllium a task Delta worked connected until the clip of her ain decease successful 1941. 

A beingness of proximity to Greece’s best-known politicians and intellectuals

Delta’s enactment connected children’s books was well-known, but her contributions to lit connected Greece’s nationalist individuality was besides noteworthy. Her aboriginal novels took spot successful the play of the Byzantine Empire, but aboriginal books besides were acceptable during important points successful Greek history. 

Her involvement successful Greek individuality was nary uncertainty influenced by her ain idiosyncratic proximity to large events during the aboriginal portion of the 20th century. Her father’s governmental connections led Delta to becoming adjacent to 1 of Greece’s astir consequential figures, Eleftherios Venizelos. 

Venizelos, the dominant statesman successful Greek authorities for the archetypal fractional of the century, was a regular impermanent of her father, who served arsenic Venizelos’ concern minister. There is adjacent statement astir whether the Prince successful Delta’s 1912 caller “A Tale With No Name” was based connected Venizelos.

Elefterios Venizelos, statesman who dominated Greek authorities for the archetypal fractional of the 20th century, was a household person of Delta’s. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Another idiosyncratic Delta was connected to was Bishop Chrysanthus, who aboriginal became the Metropolitan of Trebizond successful the Ottoman Empire. The relationship betwixt the 2 contributed to one of her novels, “Life of Christ,” earlier helium would instrumentality to Trabzon earlier the First World War. 

Delta’s transportation to authorities successful Greece astatine the clip began to instrumentality a idiosyncratic toll connected her aboriginal successful life. In the 1920s, royalists astir assassinated Venizelos and her father, and they succeeded successful murdering Dragoumis. After his death, Delta wore achromatic for the remainder of her beingness successful mourning. 

Her idiosyncratic wellness besides began to decline. In 1925, she was diagnosed with polio, which gradually worsened to a constituent of partial paralysis aboriginal successful life. 

The Nazi concern and Delta’s prime to instrumentality her ain life

Eventually, governmental developments successful Greece came backmost to occupation Delta again astatine the extremity of her life. 

It was Sunday April 27, 1941, erstwhile German troops entered Athens. The emergence of the Nazi swastika connected the Acropolis marked the opening of the German occupation. Soon the Germans acceptable up a puppet authorities with Georgios Tsolakoglou, the wide who signed the capitulation, arsenic premier minister.

The concern lone grew harsher arsenic the Germans dug themselves successful further implicit the years. In 1944, the Nazis would retreat arsenic their fortunes successful the warfare began to sour, but Delta would not unrecorded to spot that day. 

German soldiers participate Athens successful 1941. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Delta was profoundly affected by the Nazi invasion. Her paralysis was processing further, but present her household was forced to endure a beingness nether a vicious German-imposed regime.

On April 27, the time German forces entered Athens, Delta committed termination by poisoning herself and dying days aboriginal connected May 2. For Delta, it was amended to dice a patriot to her beloved Greece than spot it ruined by the Nazis. Before committing suicide, Delta near 1 past enactment to her children that read:

“My beloved children, I bash not privation to person a clergyman nor an authoritative ceremonial upon my death. Bury maine astatine a country of our garden, but lone erstwhile you are definite I bash not respire anymore. I buss you all, With emotion Penelope Delta,” it read. 

Her children followed her petition and buried her successful the household garden. One objection they made to pursuing her volition was inviting the Archbishop of Athens to preside implicit her burial. The archbishop, Chrysanthus of Trebizond, was not lone her person but 1 of her earlier inspirations. 

Delta contiguous is remembered arsenic 1 of Greece’s astir storied novelists for her quality to transportation her progressive beingness successful Greek intelligence and governmental beingness into her work. 

She was survived by her 3 children, who besides went connected to person children of their own. Among Delta’s modern descendants is erstwhile Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, her great-grandson connected his mother’s side.