"O Anagnostis" Literary Awards 2026: Double Distinction for Ikaros Publishing

At yesterday’s award ceremony for O Anagnostis (The Reader) literary magazine, held at the Benaki Museum Amphitheater, two books from Ikaros Publishing received distinctions.

Specifically:

-Ambassador Vasilis Papadopoulos was honored with the 2026 Nikos Themelis Award for his historical novel Princess Anna.

-Chrysostomos Tsaprailis and Kanellos Cob were honored with the 2026 Award for Young Adult Literature for their book The Moon’s Descent (To katevasma tou feggariou).

Notable Reviews for the Two Books

FOR "PRINCESS ANNA"

"A book read in one breath, transporting the reader to the charming imagery of the Queen of Cities (Constantinople) and snow-covered Kyiv, while opening up a universe of human characters and their destinies before their eyes."
– Alexis Panselinos, Ta Nea Bibliodromio

"This book becomes relevant today, as we, both as a state and as readers, re-evaluate our relationships—positively or negatively—with Russia and Ukraine. Thus, our gaze is drawn to the past to see the present anew."
– Giorgos Perantonakis, Book Press

FOR "THE MOON'S DESCENT"

"...The childhood terror of fairy tales becomes a terrifying reality: something between a dream and a vivid hallucination. [...] Chrysostomos Tsaprailis employs a poetic expression that lends an undiagnosed depth to the long night."
– Vangelis Hatzivasileiou, To VIMA

"I enjoyed Tsaprailis's novella with all my senses, took my time to finish it, approached this specific genre of literature once again, and ultimately recommend it unreservedly to everyone, even to those moved by other genres of prose […]. What impressed me most, however, is the arrangement of such a demanding text, its exceptional structure, and the incredible sensitivity that characterizes the heroes, but primarily Circe."
– Christos Papageorgiou, Diastixo