Maria Michaelidou

Maria Michaelidou was born in Cairo, Egypt, and grew up in Nicosia, Cyprus, where she currently lives with her family. She is a graduate of the Cyprus Pedagogical Academy and of the Pedagogical Department of the University of Thessaly, where she also received her PhD after submitting her thesis, “The Role of the Family in Cypriot Literature for Children and Young Adults,” which was given first class honours.

Maria completed a two-year post-graduate course at the Maraslio Didaskalio of the University of Athens; she worked as a teacher, a vice-principal, and a principal at elementary schools in Cyprus, and as a school inspector for the Cyprus Ministry of Education, where she also took a sabbatical at the Pedagogical Institute of Cyprus.

She was a lecturer at the European University in Cyprus for several years, where she taught Children’s and Young Adult Literature. She currently edits and reviews literature. Her published work includes children’s books and studies and monographs about contemporary literature and the history of education. Maria is a board member of PEN, the Fairy Tale Museum and the Cyprus Children’s Museum. She is the founder and president of the Circle of Friends of the Strovolos Municipal Library.