for the book The King Who Had Too Much of Everything
“In a language that is simple and direct, through the vehicle of a fairytale, it addresses serious issues which children, but also adults, face in the difficult times of the present. […] Without didacticism, not even indirect, Papyanni highlights the nourishing and restorative power of knowledge, imagination and memory in creating and recreating a life full of optimism, joy, hope and, especially, free of the sundry fears and nightmares that poison our life, turning it into a veritable hell. This fairytale of Maria Papayanni is a modern narrative, political in the broad sense, as it highlights, often by contrast, the concepts of freedom, subjugation, free will, submission, love, hatred, personal and social isolation, totalitarianism and democracy, the collective overcoming of difficulties, resistance to despotism, and does so in a manner that is particularly pleasant and attractive. Certainly this text is amenable to multiple readings.”