Shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Literature 2025
Wanderer, washed-up writer and part-time philosopher of Athens’ nightlife, Michalis Krokos is more comfortable watching the Johnny Depp trial on livestream than getting down to his next book. But his apathetic state is shattered when prosecutor Sofia Charitsi shows up with some startling news. His long-lost friend Rebecca, a sharp-tongued trans sex worker, is in serious trouble.
For some reason, a violent far-right group, ONET wants her silenced, and fast. To rescue her, Krokos agrees to go undercover as a fake news copywriter inside ONET’s inner circle. Write a few lies, steal a few secrets, take down a fascist or two.
All in a day’s work, right? But what begins as a rescue mission spirals into a wild dive through backroom deals, blackmail, and political paranoia. Sofia is hiding her own complicated past with ONET’s megalomaniac leader, and Krokos ends up just trying to stay alive long enough to write something that might be worth publishing. Part literary noir, part darkly comic political thriller Deepfake explores truth, loyalty, and the absurd theatre of modern politics— set in the heart of a sweltering, sleepless Athens.
Makis Malafekas was born in Athens in 1977. He studied art history and social anthropology. He has presented seminars on the history of European comics at the Sorbonne and has worked at the Paris School of Fine Arts. His articles have been published in “9” (Eleftherotypia), Libération, Mediapart, Lifo, and other magazines and newspapers. Deepfake is his latest out of six books (novels, poetry, essay, biography), and his third neo-noir novel. His works have been translated to French and Italian. He lives and works between Brussels and Athens.