Some of those repatriated could hardly speak Greek and possessed only the clothes that they wore. Disease, hardship and famine were rife in the chaos which prevailed, but Menelaos wasted no time in setting up a business. Soon their first child was born, a daughter who was baptised Helen but called by her pet name Nitsa. Not long afterwards they had a second daughter, Niki.
Menelaos, apparently always controversial in his outlook, was not only a businessman but also a well-known and often contentious writer of political articles. Only fifteen years after their arrival in Greece, his fondness for polemics would cost him dear. During the German Occupation of World War II, Menelaos, by then well established in Thessalonica, fearlessly criticised the occupying powers. They prosecuted him and the family had to flee. In 1941 he, Martha and their two young daughters boarded a boat for Athens with a few suitcases. The rest of their possessions were to follow later.
When they arrived in the harbour of Piraeus they found themselves once again in the midst of a hungry, desperate mass of humanity. Most were fugitives from the northern regions, trying to escape the German tyranny. Teeming Piraeus served as a springboard to Athens, where the refugees hoped to find work and safety.
In Athens shanties sprang up everywhere, under trees and awnings, along pavements and in alleys. Schools were set up in streets; hunger drove Greeks to collaborate with German soldiers, which embittered relations among themselves.
The two Zotiadis daughters also had to go to school in the street, but the family was soon able to find a home with relatives in Athens. Niki clearly remembers how children from all classes sat together in the streets doing sums, and how rich and poor were equal in the disruption of wartime.
With his unquenchable drive, Menelaos soon had another business on the go, and had even found a place for his family to stay. Then the Zotiadises suffered a tremendous loss. The cargo boat from Thessalonica with all their possessions blew up in Piraeus harbour. All their worldly possessions –valuable antique furniture, heirlooms, books and paintings- were destroyed.
Martha, accustomed to a rigidly formal lifestyle, nevertheless set up her home to the best possible standards she could achieve in the circumstances. She saw to it that her daughters received a good education; she obtained books and, where there were theatres open, arranged for them to attend performances. She also made sure that her daughters had elegant manners: guests had to be correctly introduced, the table always properly laid, food beautifully presented. No matter how slender the means, Martha made sure that standards were properly maintained.
Menelaos had no time to brood on past losses but concentrated on providing for his wife and children. And predictably, once again he began to write political articles for any publication that would accept them.
Nitsa, a sensitive child, received a fine education in spite of difficult circumstances and was soon fluent in Greek, French and English. By the time she met her hero, George Lanaras, she was an attractive, well-groomed, fashionably-dressed young lady – and an extremely wealthy one.
Three: A good catch
George Lanaras’s father, Zafiris, was born in Naussa in 1886 into a family already well known in the wool industry. Like many sons of successful Greek families, he would be sent abroad to expand the business.
Zafiris set off for Cairo in 1910, but after scarcely two years, he returned to Greece to fight in the first Balkan war against the Turks. When the war was over he returned to Cairo. He continued this to-and-fro existence for a number of years, while his bachelor status became a subject of increasing concern to his family.
Zafiris was presented with a photo of 25-year-old Elizabeth Hadjigrigoriadis, the daughter of a surgeon and by all accounts extremely conservative. The family held its breath. Would their footloose and fancy-free 32-year-old agree to an arranged marriage? He had little choice. In 1918 the couple were married without having previously met or even seen each other before.
Their three sons, of whom George was the eldest, were all born in Cairo. There was a well-established Greek community and the children attended school at the renowned Abet Gymnasium. At home Elizabeth, keenly aware of the dominance of Islam in Egypt, conscientiously guided their religious education and throughout their lives the Lanaras brothers would remain dedicated followers of the Greek Orthodox faith. Years later George would also meet an old schoolfriend from Cairo, Minos Colocotronis, and, as often happens in Greek society, they would forge even closer ties, thanks to the romance between their children, Elita and Tony.
When George was seventeen years old, Zafiris died suddenly. He found himself in charge of the family business, which was in financial decline. He had also to take care of his two younger brothers and his mother. The family moved from Egypt back to Greece, where George was to study at the University of Athens.
Tall, dark, charismatic — and extremely ambitious — George became a sought-after guest in Kolonaki society. Although somewhat reserved, he was popular, especially with young women. Quiet he may have been, but he made no secret of his fondness for pretty girls. In the small circle of Kolonaki there were also many opportunities for young men and girls to meet – often organised by parents
When George became accepted as Nitsa’s future husband he took his friends teasing that he had made a good catch in good part, because he knew that he would still make his own fortune. Thanks to her father’s wealth, Nitsa was certainly a good catch, but with her refined upbringing and modest nature, she was also very attractive. What was more, she cherished a consuming love for George.
Menelaos, who had succeeding in keeping his businesses going even during the civil war, suffered a financial collapse just before Nitsa’s wedding. With typical panache he nevertheless gave his daughter an elegant wedding and in time rebuilt his business empire. Elita recalls her grandfather as a strict man, always working or thinking about business.
George and Nitsa would become a popular couple in Kolonaki, but the marriage would be far from idyllic.
Four: A child apart
George was a man of refined tastes; he was particular, even hypercritical about the quality of everything pertaining to his material comfort — food, clothes, furniture, cars. Nitsa dedicated herself to maintaining these high standards in running the house, sparing no effort in creating a home that would be pleasing to him in every respect.
Even as a small child, however, Elita was aware of the fierce and sometimes bitter rows audible from her parents’ bedroom. Nitsa did not always conceal her tears and Elita soon came to believe that her mother’s overwhelming love for her father was not entirely reciprocated.
Nevertheless, Nitsa stoically continued to keep a meticulous household. Following the tradition of her mother, Martha, rules were drawn up for staff to follow in the finest detail. Where and how guests were received was of crucial importance; the table was always to be immaculately laid with all the required cutlery; food had to be correctly served and proper etiquette adhered to at all times.
The little girls had to greet guests politely and eat properly – from a very early age Nitsa instilled in them a fear of getting fat. Although not an intellectual like her mother, Nitsa was determined that her children would acquire all the skills and education available at that time to girls in Kolonaki.
As George’s wealth grew, Nitsa systematically sought out larger and more spacious apartments. The young couple soon became well respected. Nitsa had good social standing and taste to match; she was also an indefatigable hostess, becoming renowned for her elegant dinners, the long dining table lavishly laid with crystal, flowers and the finest food.
Children in Kolonaki had a social life of their own, with endless parties, always with imaginative cakes, cool drinks and above all, pretty clothes. The girls would be dressed in frills and flounces, often purchased in Paris or Milan, the boys in pageboy suits. Photographs of every occasion were pasted into an album. In many of these photographs, a small figure may be seen standing to one side, large