The harmless matter permeated by the vital breath

is the result of universal perfection.

(Giovanni Campisi)

 

TRACING

THE EPHEMERAL

 

FOREWORD – ALTHEA ROMEO MARK

 

Vasiliki Dragouni and I have shared the pages of several poetry anthologies curated by Giovani Campisi and published by Edizioni Universum, the most recent being The Memory Thread in English and Chinese.

But there is another genre in which we share a common interest. It is fiction, especially short stories. We love to capture the imagination of our readers with our short stories.

While my short stories as a Caribbean poet and fiction writer have been published in Caribbean journals such as The Caribbean Writer, POUI, MOKO and Caribbean newspapers, Dragouni has established herself as a prose writer in Europe. Her prose works include the flash fiction collection "Red is worn upon the heart" (Breaths of Speech and Art Publications, Athens, 2020), the story collections "Convex Mirrors" (Larissa, 2021) and "Cracks in the Façade" (Larissa, 2022) by Universe Pathways Editions, the micro-novel "Trophy Wife" (e-book, Easy writer Publications, Athens, 2016) and the micro-novels "The Other Woman" (Larissa, 2022) and "Happy Valentine" (Larissa, 2023) by Universe Pathways Editions.

Tracing the Ephemeral is a collection of powerful micro-fictions that explore various themes that examine the human psyche and condition. The stories dissect the themes of pride, ambition, fear, abandonment, unrequited love, loss, hardship and death, among others.

The very short stories are inhabited by unforgettable characters who inhabit worlds that capture the imagination and draw the reader into a strange world through mysterious encounters. There are conflicts between men and women, man and nature, man and his captivating fantasies. The reader is lost in a world similar to "Alice in Wonderland" and becomes entangled in the mental traps of the characters.

In some settings, time and place are uncertain, or love remains unrequited, unreachable, a person is trapped in his or her own fears. These spaces are strange places from which there is no return.

Vasiliki Dragouni's micro-fictions are delightful treats to be savoured.

 

Althea Romeo Mark