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Greece: Books and Writes (Modern Greek Literature History)by: VANGELIS HADJIVASSILIOU, STEFANOS KAKLAMANIS, ELISABETH KOTZIA, STAVROS PETSOPOULOSen 9607894294 |
PUBLICATION COMMITTEE
VANGELIS HADJIVASSILIOU
STEFANOS KAKLAMANIS
ELISABETH KOTZIA
STAVROS PETSOPOULOS
ELISABETH TSIRIMOKOU
YORYIS YATROMANOLAKIS
Sourcing of illustrations
SANDRA VRETTA
Translations
JOHN DAVIS (sections I-III), ALEXANDRA KAPSALI (sections IV-V)
JANE ASSIMAKOPOULOS (sections VI-VII)
ANNE-MARIE STANTON-IFE (introductory texts, captions)
Textual editing
JOHN LEATHAM
Secretariat
LENIA THEOPHILI
Design, selection of illustrations and supervision of production
STAVROS PETSOPOULOS
ISBN 960 - 7894 - 29 - 4
© 2001, MINISTRY OF CULTURE - NATIONAL BOOK CENTRE OF GREECE
4 Athanasiou Diakou St, 117 42 Athens, Greece
Tel.: (301) 92 00 300 - Fax: (301) 92 00 305
http://www.books.culture.gr
e-mail:info@ekebi.gr
THIS BOOK introduces the major works and authors in modern Greek literature from
the 11th century to the present. The progress of Greek letters through the centuries,
like that of the modern nation itself, has been neither smooth nor even. The nation has
found itself alternately scaling great creative heights and plumbing the depths of cultural
stagnation, with its impulse for creativity almost extinguished. However, this impulse was
never entirely smothered, not even during the endless years of enslavement, the dark ages
following the fall of Constantinople in 1453.
Modern Greek literature belongs to the wider family of modern European literature.
However, there are many features of it which distinguish it from the rest of the group. It
is a literature which once featured prominently on the European literary scene, but today
is, regrettably, regarded as one of the so-called ‘minor literatures’, and the Greek language
itself is a linguistic loner and therefore relatively inaccessible to foreign readers. But
however ‘marginal’ it may have been at certain points in its development, it is a literature
which has never isolated itself from the centre; indeed, it has been in constant dialogue
with the literatures of other European nations. Moreover, the overwhelming Classical
literary legacy and the inevitable ‘anxiety of influence’ have at times worked against Greek
writers; the separation of history and emotion has proved difficult to sustain. On the other
hand, the interaction between Ancient and Modern has often been extraordinarily fruitful,
as the poetry of the 2Oth century amply demonstrates.
Naturally, the attempt to trace the long, tortuous course of modern Greek letters and to
represent its many facets and manifestations within the confines of a relatively short volume
has been no mean task. Practical constraints have led to the inevitable omission of certain
writers and works. The central organising principles of this volume have been first of all to
trace the relationship between Greek and world literature (especially European) and secondly,
to outline the importance of these writers for their times, highlighting the historical context
of their literary output and showing how they renew the traditions they work within. The
editors have therefore taken care to map out very clearly the main stages in the development
of this literature, emphasising certain central aspects common to each: linguistic, thematic
and ideological, but never losing sight of the unique features of each period.
The title is self-explanatory: this is a book about books and writers, and thus prominent
writers and their works provide the focus throughout. This volume does not aim to serve
as a literary history in the conventional academic sense; rather, it seeks to recast the history
of Greek letters in a fresher, more personal narrative, supported by a vast array of
illustrations and photographic material. So while the various stages in the development of
Greek literature are presented in a linear manner in parallel with modern history, Books
and Writers regularly sidesteps the main historical narrative to make fascinating literary
detours. This is the history of the literature of a modern nation involved in a constant
process of enrichment and renewal.