But in May 1919, at the peak of his literary fame, Nicolaides suddenly left Athens. He took up residence for the next four years in his homeland of Cyprus. His plan was to publish there the new works he had ready, and to promote the island's cultural life, making it a "land of the muses". Such at least is the testimony of a young compatriot, Glafkos Alithersis, who had returned to Cyprus before him and was preparing the ground for his teacher by spreading publicity in his Limassol newspaper
Aletheia (Truth). As soon as Nicolaides was back in Cyprus, he immediately published "The Blue flower" in Nicosia. But he found the intellectual climate there discouraging. He spent a few months in
Stavrovouni Monastery, then moved on after some hesitation to
Limassol. There he was welcomed by a band of enthusiastic young friends who were willing to campaign on behalf of art and literature, including Emilios Hourmouzios, Giannis Lefkis, Giangos Eliadis, Christodoulos Christodoulidis, Antonis Indianos, Dimitrios Demitriadis, the brothers Banos, and George Fasouliotis. Alithersis had meanwhile left for Alexandria. Nicolaides' presence in Limassol stimulated a flowering of intellectual life and creativity. Within three years, he published three books (one volume of lyric prose, one of short stories, and a novel—
Το Στραβόξυλο (The Peevish Fellow). He staged two tragedies with girl students of the school where he taught painting. He produced "
tableaux vivants" with remarkable success. He put on an exhibition of his own paintings (possibly the first such event in Cyprus). He gave private painting lessons and he undertook the artistic side of various events (such as flower festivals). Most important of all for Cyprus was the 1924 launch in Limassol (after he had left again for Egypt) of the island's first genuine literary periodical,
Avge. Nicolaides and Alithersis from Egypt, and the other young people inspired by him, provided the nucleus for its contents. In 1923, disappointed at the limited impact of his books in Cyprus, Nicolaides had returned to Alexandria, where he produced, painted the scenery, and provided music for a performance of the play
The Blue Flower. Finally, around 1924, he settled in Cairo, which was to be his home for the rest of his life, although he took various trips from there to satisfy his zest for change, more frequently when his means and his health permitted it, less frequently as he grew older. In Cairo he lived in the poor Arab quarters, where he associated with the lowest strata of the indigenous population. His intellectual and creative needs were satisfied both through his many-faceted work and through the society of a group of local Greeks who met on the premises of the sponge vendor and well known socialist Sakellaris Yiannikakis. Besides Yiannakakis himself and the lawyer Yiannis Lachovaris, the company consisted of young graduates of Cairo's Ambetions College with a strong artistic bent and interested in the pursuit of
social justice and direct political action. These included Stratis Tsirkas, Theodosis Pierides,
George Philippou Pierides, George Demos, Lambis Rappas, Stavros Karakasis and others. Some of these were to go on to achieve a pan-Hellenic reputation. Nicolaides' literary and artistic workshop gave a significant impetus to this evolution. Nicolaides' relationships and contacts with the "cultural elite" in Alexandria were slight with
Kavafis and his circle, but much closer with Timos Malakos, Maria Roussia, Alithersis—who had been his associate in Cyprus—and others. Contacts of every kind with his homeland continued undiminished. He visited Cyprus at intervals, contributed to
Kypriaka Grammata (the Cypriot literary journal), published in Nicosia, corresponded with friends on the island, and provided financial assistance to his sister and her two daughters, one of whom he enabled to study at
Harokopeion College in Athens. However, he had little further contact with Athens. He did not distribute his books there, and as a result was more or less forgotten, although he was remembered by a few friends and admirers. Both in Alexandria and in Cairo, Nicolaides published several works: two volumes of short stories in Alexandria and three volumes of lyric prose and two novels in Cairo. He produced theatrical pieces in the
Cairo Opera House and elsewhere and with amateur companies drawn from the
Greek community. He painted. He gave painting lessons and exhibited in art exhibitions. He designed pavilions for the Gezira Exhibition Grounds at Cairo. He sketched the famous Tower of Tsanaklis in the Egyptian desert. He participated actively in peace movement rallies and other events in the Greek community (in favour of democracy in Greece and independence for Cyprus). He took a leading part in various artistic and other endeavours within the Greek community. Nicolaides died in Cairo on 24 February 1956. == Published works ==