In the interwar years and later, one unique feature of Heraklion was the spontaneous, lively Carnival, where masks were used by one and all. Two focal points of social life were the Heraklion Club and the Tennis Club. The Studio - Lefteris Alexiou's well-stocked library and study, set apart from his house in Argyraki Street - was a meeting point for literary circles. It even made an impression on foreigners, such as the American author Henry Miller and the German composer Walter Gieseler, who set Alexiou's poetry to music. They make extensive references to it in their books.
