Biography

Georgios Vizyinos (Greek: Γεώργιος Βιζυηνός, born as "Georges Syrmas" March 8, 1849, Vize – April 15, 1896, Athens) was a Greek short story writer and poet. His poems, which are considered influential in Greek literature, focus on ethnography and he was referred to as a "painter of souls". Most of his writings are self-narrative and self-investigative in nature. After a rough childhood and unsuccessful attempts to marry a 14-year old student while he was in his 40s, Vizyinos tried to commit suicide and was admitted to a mental institution, where he died in 1896 at age 47, likely from syphilis.