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Maria-Aspasia (Marie) Aspioti (29 September 1909 – 25 May 2000),〔〔 was a distinguished Corfiote writer, playwright,〔 poet, magazine publisher and cultural figure who influenced the literary and cultural life of post-war Corfu.〔 She published the magazine ''Prosperos'' between the years 1949–1954, and ''Lear's Corfu'' in 1965.〔 She was a close friend of Lawrence Durrell and had been awarded an MBE.〔〔〔 ==Life== Aspioti was born into a wealthy family who lived in the ''Villa Rosa'' mansion in a suburb of the old town of Corfu. She was the daughter of Konstantinos Aspiotis, a man who became wealthy by mass-producing, in his printing shop, a kind of exclusive playing cards illustrated by his grandfather Nikolaos Aspiotis who was a painter. Eventually his company moved to Athens and became ''Aspioti-ELKA'', a well-known printing and publishing company and one of the largest of its kind in Greece.〔〔 In 1930 Marie Aspioti published the book ''Corfu'' in French in cooperation with French writer René Puaux. Lawrence Durrell in the introduction of his publication ''Lear's Corfu'' in 1965 mentions: During World-War II she became a volunteer nurse at the Corfu General Hospital. In January 1950 she published the magazine ''Prosperos, editions of Art and Literature of the British Council'', inspired by Lawrence Durrell's work ''Prospero's Cell''.〔 In Corfu she was the director of the Corfu Branch of the British Council from 1946 to 1955,〔 and was a family friend of Prince Philip.〔 In 1955 she resigned her position as the director of the British Council in protest against the British policies in Cyprus against enosis in trying to suppress Cypriot self-determination. At the same time she returned to the Queen the MBE she had received.〔〔 She also accused Durrell of betraying his philhellenism for a few coins.〔 She also wrote poems and theatrical plays. In 1956 her first theatrical play ''O Κουρσεμένος Γάμος'' (''The Pirated Wedding'') was performed in Corfu. Her other literary works were published in ''Prosperos'' magazine and other publications in Corfu.〔 Later in life, Marie Aspiotis could no longer afford to maintain her ''Villa Rosa'' mansion and although the building became dilapidated she continued living there with her mother.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Marie Aspioti」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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