Xenopoulos, Grigorios

Gregory Xenopoulos was born in Constantinople on December 9, 1867 . His father, Dionysios, a former officer in the Greek army, came from Zakynthos Island, his mother, Eulalia Toma, was a native Greek woman of Constantinople. Gregory was born in the ancestral home of his mother in Phanar . When Gregory was still a baby, the family moved to Zakynthos, where his 5 brothers and sisters were subsequently born. Gregory lived his childhood and adolescence in Zakynthos. In 1883 he entered the University of Athens , at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. But he never completed his studies: from the first year he took up literature, which, among other things, was the only source of his income.

Since 1892, he finally settled in Athens and in 1894 he married Euphrosyne Diogenidi. The marriage was short-lived. After a year and a half, the couple divorced, having had time to give birth to one daughter. The writer again married in 1901 to Christina Canellopoulou, with whom she had two more daughters.

From the period 1890-1910, Xenopoulos was a member of the Socialist Youth and an ardent supporter of the Greek socialist Plato Draculis .

Xenopoulos collaborated with many newspapers and magazines by publishing essays, articles, stories and novels in them. In 1894 he headed the magazine "Illustrated Hearth" ( Εικονογραφημένη Εστία ), in 1896 he became editor-in-chief of the journal "Formation of Children" ( Η Διάπλασις των Παίδων ), which has been a subscriber since childhood. From 1901 to 1912 he published literary works and studies in the journal Panathinea ( Παναθήναια ) and from 1912 began to collaborate with the newspaper Nation ( Ethnos ), publishing his novels in the sequels.

In 1912, Xenopoulos was awarded the silver cross of the Order of the Savior . In 1923 he was awarded the "National Distinction of Literature and the Arts."

In 1927, he founded the magazine “New Hearth” ( Νέα Εστία ) and remained its director until 1934.

In 1932, Xenopoulos became a member of the Academy of Athens .

In 1939 he became a member of the first State Committee of Literary Prizes ^{[1] [2]}

On October 28, 1940, the invasion of the Italian army into Greece from the Allied Italians of Albania began. The Greek army repelled the invasion and, after 2 weeks of fighting, transferred the hostilities to Albanian territory. The victories of the Greek army caused a great resonance, since at that time the Axis forces dominated Europe, only Britain and Greece continued to fight, while from August 1939 the Non-aggression Treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union remained in force. The victories of the Greek army were the first victories of the anti-fascist coalition in World War II ^{[3] [4]} . Xenopoulos was among the artists of Greece who signed the Greek intellectuals' appeal to the intelligentsia of the world. Greek intellectuals declared to their colleagues ^[5] : “We, the Hellenes, gave an answer to this ultimatum of fascist violence. An answer that befits 3000 years of our traditions, engraved deep in our souls, but also written in the last corner of the sacred land with the blood of the greatest heroes of human history. And today, on the snowy slopes of Pinda and the mountains of Macedonia, we are fighting, in most cases with a bayonet, determined to defeat or die to the death. Β this unequal struggle .... we have a feeling that we are defending not only our cause: that we are fighting for the salvation of all those High Values ​​that make up the spiritual and moral culture, the valuable heritage that our illustrious ancestors have bequeathed to humanity and which, today, we see, are threatened by a wave of barbarism and violence. It is this feeling that gives us, the Greek intellectuals, people of culture and art, the courage to turn to brothers all over the world to ask for not material, but moral help. We ask for the contribution of souls, the revolution of consciousness, conversion, immediate impact, wherever possible, vigilant tracking and action for (preparing) a new spiritual Marathon , which will save enslaved nations from the threat of the darkest slavery that humanity has known to this day. " Signatures: Kostis Palamas , Spyros Melas , Angelos Sikelianos , Georgios Drosinis , Sotiris Skispis , Dimitrios Mitropoulos , Konstantin Dimitriadis , Nikolaos Veis , Konstantin Partenis , Ioannis Griparis , Yannis Vlakhoyannis , Stratis Mirisis Kaspiris Malistris Malistris Malistris , Kristis Iris Vyacheslavis , Kostis Mirisos Kirisis , Kristisos Kirisos , St. George Campanis .

During the triple, German-Italian-Bulgarian occupation of Greece, Xenopoulos joined the National Liberation Front , led by Greek Communists . After the liberation of Greece by the forces of the People’s Liberation Army and immediately followed by the British military intervention in December 1944, during the fighting, the house of Xenopoulos was blown up, as a result of which his huge archive was lost ^[6] .

As a result of material losses during the occupation and British intervention, and especially after the outbreak of the Civil War (1946-1949), the financial condition of Xenopoulos sharply worsened. He continued to write, but the last 5 years of his life are not marked by significant works. Xenopoulos died in Athens on December 14, 1951, at the age of 84 years ^[7] .

On the island of Zakynthos, the Xenopoulos Museum is organized ^[8] . The bust of the writer is set in front of the Cultural Center of the Athens Municipality ^[9] .

Prose

Xenopoulos was a very productive writer. He wrote over 80 novels and many stories. His debut in Greek literature took place in 1888 with the novel “Secular Man” ( Ο ανθρωπος του κόσμου ). This and his other Athenian novel, Nicholas Sigalos ( Νικόλας Σιγαλός 1890), were not successful. After which the writer turned to Zakynthos and wrote some of his best works, Margarita Stefa ( Μαργαρίτα Στέφα 1893), Red Rock ( Κόκκινος βράχος 1905). Then again the Athenian novels followed, the most significant of which were The War ( Ο πόλεμος 1914) and The Secret Engagement ( Οι μυστικοί αρραβώνες 1915) and the Zakynthian Laura ( Λάουρα 1915). His most ambitious writing work was the public trilogy “Rich and Poor” ( Πλούσιοι και φτωχοί 1919), “Honest and dishonorable” ( Τίμιοι και άτιμοι 1921), “Lucky and Unsuccessful” ( Τυχιιοιά ). The first two novels are considered the best and most mature works of Xenopoulos. Other significant works followed: Villa Anadiomeni ( Αναδυομένη 1925), Isabella ( Ισαβέλλα 1923), Teresa Varma Dakosta ( Τερέζα Βάρμα-Δακόστα 1925) ^{[11] [12]} . Xenopoulos is considered the pioneer of the "urban romance." The main theme of his work is love, that is, erot , mainly between people of different social classes.

His ability to write easily and quickly, in some cases, led Xenopoulos to “discounts” in terms of quality. He was accused when he began to write novels in sequels that he very easily made concessions to his readers and that he often used erotic scenes provocative for that era to make money. However, his opponents recognize the merits of his work, such as the ease of narration, the ability to maintain a steady interest of the reader and observation.

Xenopoulos and the urban romance

Many of Xenopoulos's works are intended more for entertainment than for philological analysis. Bourgeois realism, which dominated Europe and America at that time, also influenced the work of Xenopoulos. For this reason, Xenopoulos is considered by many critics to be the pioneer of the urban novel, with attempts to reproduce reality. We should not forget that Xenopoulos belongs to the generation of the 1880s, a decade which is considered a milestone in the history of modern Greek literature.

Xenopoulos was an expert on this tradition, but also a modernist. His turn to bourgeois realism was basically a specific departure from "ethography." The action of his first novels takes place in Athens among students, novels were written when the writer was not yet 30 years old. Xenopoulos used the circumstances of his own life, passing them off as fictitious.

Theater

His first theatrical work, Foster Father ( Ο ψυχοπατέρας ), was presented in 1895. From the beginning of the century, he began to collaborate with the “New Stage” ( Νέα Σκηνή ) of Konstantin Christomanos . Among his most significant theatrical works are: “The Secret of Countess Valerena” ( Το μυστικό της Κοντέσσας Βαλέραινας 1904), “Stella Violanti” ( Στέλλα Βιολάντη 1909, with the main role) Marika Cotopuli “The Secret of Countess Valerena” was Xenopoulos's favorite work. As the writer himself said, “I conceived her as a young man, wrote as a man, again wrote as a mature man, and finished almost an old man” ^[13] . Xenopoulos wrote a total of 46 different theatrical works. In 1901 , along with Konstantin Palamas , Xenopoulos was the initiator of the creation of the “New Scene”. Thanks to his knowledge of foreign languages, Xenopoulos was timely informed about important spiritual events in other European countries. He wrote prologues to Ibsen's texts and his daily life was associated with the theater. Many of his dramas were first written as prose, and then were transferred to the stage (“The Crucified Eros” - “Stella Violanti”). He also translated several theatrical works. He took part in various committees of drama competitions. The Royal Theater of Athens was opened in 1932 with his work Uncle Dream (Ο θείος Όνειρος). Most of Xenopoulos's works (28) are three-act. In the first act, Xenopoulos, as a rule, presents the theme and characterizes the characters, in the second plot leads to the culmination of the drama, in the third comes resolution. Xenopoulos methodically, phrase by phrase, prepares subsequent events, which at first glance seem to have no relation to the main topic, but later turn out to be necessary. The “Stella Violanti”, in which Xenopoulos goes quickly from the pleasant atmosphere of a Zakynthian house to the shocking climax of the bride’s voluntary death, became the prototype of two other theatrical works, which although they were written much later lacked the dramatic technique of Xenopoulos.

Categorization of Xenopoulos' works : Xenopoulos wrote drama and comedy with the same ease, and the main theme of his works was love ( erot ). His works relate to the flow of ethography in Greek literature 1880-1930, which reproduces the life of the era and local society, in which local and temporal features often become unwritten laws imposing society. His works are divided into Zakynthian or Athenian. Xenopoulos is designed to bridge the gap between the two schools, Athenian and peninsular .

Criticism

Especially significant was his contribution to literary criticism. In the journal Panathinea ( Παναθήναια ), he published many studies on writers such as Alexander Papadiamantis , Giannis Kambisis , Dimitrios Vikelas . Xenopoulos was the first to introduce Konstantin Kawafis to the Athenian literary public in 1903.

Although Xenopoulos came from a wealthy family, he was not an aristocrat. Arriving in Athens, he brought with him the idea of ​​humane socialism . In Athens, he came into contact with Plato Draculis (1858-1942) and other leaders of the socialist party, he joined them and helped with the publication of the socialist newspapers Radical (Άρδην) and Society (Κοινωνία). In 1885, he became editor of Άρδην. His position on socialism is best seen in the rich and the poor . Xenopoulos believed in socialism that would change society without violent upheaval. Gradually, people realize what their benefits are, rich and poor will come to a consensus without violence. The ideal of socialism would provide every person, regardless of race, food, shelter and clothing, but could never lead to perfect equality. With the growth of the intellectual level of the people, people realize where their genuine interest is. By virtue of this, he regarded the work of the writer as a duty to education and responsible work, for the good of the general.

Stories

• Greek Games Thirty Drama Award ( Ελληνικού αγώνος το τριακοσιάδραχμον έπαθλον . Αθήνα, Χιώτης, 1885).
• Stepmother ( Μητρυιά . Αθήνα, παράρτημα του περιοδικού Εστία , 1890).
• Soldier Stories ( Στρατιωτικά διηγήματα . Αθήνα, Κασδόνης, 1892).
• Stories Series One ( Διηγήματα • Σειρά πρώτη . Αθήνα, τυπ.Κωνσταντινίδη, 1901).
• Stories Series Two ( Διηγήματα • Σειρά δεύτερη . Αθήνα, τυπ.Κωνσταντινίδη, 1903).
• Stories Series Three ( Διηγήματα • Σειρά τρίτη . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1907).
• A bad way and other new stories ( Ο κακός δρόμος και άλλα καινούργια διηγήματα (1908-1911) . Αθήνα, Φέξης, 1912.)

The work was filmed in 1933 in one of the rare joint Greek-Turkish films ^{[15] [16] [17]}

• Stella Violanti or Eros crucified and some selected stories ( Στέλλα Βιολάντη ή Έρως εσταυρωμένος και κάποια άλλα διαλεχτά διηγήματα . Αθήνα, Αθήνα,
• Lovers and other stories ( Οι ερωτευμένοι και άλλα διηγήματα . Αθήνα, έκδοση Φιλολογικής Κυψέλης, χ.χ.)
• Pupil ( Η Αναθρεφτή . Αθήνα, Γανιάρης, χ.χ.) ^[18] .
• Throwing stones in the sun ( Πετριές στον ήλιο . Αθήνα, Παπαδόπουλος, 1919).
• Zakynthian shawl and ten other selected stories ('Το Ζακυνθινό μαντήλι και άλλα δέκα διαλεχτά διηγήματα . Αθήνα, Γανιάρης, 1921).
• Athenian stories The story of one divorced ( Αθηναϊκά διηγήματα • Ιστορία μιας χωρισμένης . Αθήνα, Γανιάρης, 1924).
• Minotaur and other new stories ( Ο Μινώταυρος και άλλα νέα διηγήματα (1921-1924) . Αλεξάνδρεια, εκδ. Του περ. Γράμματα, 1925).
• How do they fight? ( Πώς πολεμούν; Αθήνα, έκδοση της εφημερίδας Ελληνικόν Μέλλον, 1935).
• Crazy with red lilies ( Ο τρελλός με τους κόκκινους κρίνους . Αλεξάνδρεια, Κασιγόνης, 1926).
• Immortality and 24 other stories ( Αθανασία και άλλα 24 διηγήματα . Αθήνα, εκδ. "Οι φίλοι του βιβλίου", 1944).
• Booty cat (Η γάτα του παπά, Αθήνα, εκδ. ΄΄Εθνικόν Ημερολόγιον του Σκόκου, 1913)

Novels

• Miracles of the devil ( Θαύματα του Διαβόλου . Αθήνα, Ραφτάνης, 1883).
• Secular man ( Άνθρωπος του κόσμου . Αθήνα, Γραφείον Εκλεκτών Μυθιστορημάτων, 1888).
• Nicholas Sigalos Νικόλας Σιγαλός . Αθήνα, τυπ. Κορίννης, 1890).
• Margarita Stefa ( Μαργαρίτα Στέφα . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1906).
• Red Rock ( Ο κόκκινος βράχος . Αθήνα, τυπ.Εστία, 1915).
• War ( Ο Πόλεμος . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1919).
• The honor of Brother I ( Η τιμή του αδελφού Α΄ . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1920).
• Laura Girl who kills Λάουρα • Το κορίτσι που σκοτώνει . Αθήνα, Ελευθερουδάκης, 1921) ^[19]
• The honor of brother II ( Η τιμή του αδελφού Β΄ . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1923).
• Peace and Cosmas ( Ο κόσμος κι ο Κοσμάς . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1923).
• Isabella ( Ισαβέλλα . Αλεξάνδρεια, Κασιγόνης, 1923).
• Three-faced woman ( Η τρίμορφη γυναίκα . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1924).
• The Villa “Out of the Waves” ( Αναδυόμενη . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1925) ^[20] .
• Teresa Varma Dakosta - The Modern Middle Ages ( Τερέζα Βάρμα Δακόστα - Ένας σύγχρονος Μεσαίωνας . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 19260.
• Rich and poor - Public trilogy rich and poor, honest and dishonest, Udacnik and losers (Πλούσιοι και Φτωχοί - Μια κοινωνική τριλογία • Πλούσιοι και φτωχοί, Τίμιοι και Άτιμοι, Τυχεροί και Άτυχοι Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1926.).
• War ( Ό Πόλεμος , (1919).
• The fall of the Athenian novel ( Ο Κατήφορος • Αθηναϊκόν μυθιστόρημα . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1948).
• The Wedding of the Faces ( Ο γάμος της Λίτσας . Αθήνα, τυπ. Αφων Γεράρδου, 1929).
• Reduction ( Το Φάντασμα , (1914).
• Secret engagement ( Μυστικοί αρραβώνες . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1959).
• Kosmakis History of a Normal Patient I ( Ο Κοσμάκης • Ιστορία ενός φυσιολογικού αρρώστου Α΄ . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1930.
• Kosmakis History of a Normal Patient II ( Ο Κοσμάκης • Ιστορία ενός φυσιολογικού αρρώστου Β΄ . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1930).
• Kosmakis History of a Normal Patient III ( Ο Κοσμάκης • Ιστορία ενός φυσιολογικού αρρώστου Γ΄ . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1930.
• Kosmakis History of a Normal Patient IV ( Ο Κοσμάκης • Ιστορία ενός φυσιολογικού αρρώστου Δ΄ . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1930.
• Aphrodite I The woman who is losing you, II The woman who is saving you ( Αφροδίτη Α΄ • Η γυναίκα που σε χάνει, Β΄ - Η γυναίκα που σε σώζει . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1930)
• Between three women ( Ανάμεσα σε τρεις γυναίκες . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1930).

Big love (Μεγάλη αγάπη) Night of corruption (Η νύχτα του εκφυλισμού) Three sisters (οι τρεις αδελφές) Lisa (Λίζα) Windless nights (Απάνεμα βράδια

Theater

• Theater I ( Θέατρον Α΄ . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1913).
• Theater II ( Θέατρον Β΄ . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1913).
• Students ( Φοιτηταί . Αθήνα, Παπαδόπουλος, 1919).
• Theater III ( Θέατρον Γ΄ . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1922).
• Stella Violanti Eros the Crucified - Story and Drama ( Στέλλα Βιολάντη (Έρως Εσταυρωμένος) - Το διήγημα και το δράμα . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 19
• Temptation ( Πειρασμός , (1910)
• Flower of the East ( Το Φιόρο του Λεβάντε 1914)
• This is not me Logic ( Δεν ειμ 'εγώ ή Η Λογική . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1928).
• The Secret of Countess Valerena ( Το μυστικό της Κοντέσσας Βαλέραινας . Αθήνα, 1915.
• Theater IV ( Θέατρον Δ΄ . Αθήνα, Οι φίλοι του βιβλίου, 1945.

Research

• My Confession ( Η απολογία μου . Ζάκυνθος, Καψοκέφαλος, 1884).
• Evangelos Pantopoulos ( Ευάγγελος Παντόπουλος . Αθήνα, Εστία, 1893).
• The comedy of Aristeus ( Η κωμωδία του Αριστείου . Αθήνα, 1921).
• Ears of corn and poppies ( Στάχυα και παπαρούνες Α΄ . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1923).
• Malakasis - Poet and Man ( Μαλακάσης - Ο ποιητής και ο άνθρωπος . Αθήνα, Παρθενών, 1943 (στη σειρά Σύγχρονοι Έλληνες ποητ

Children's Literature

• Children's Theater ( Παιδικόν θέατρον . Αθήνα, Παπαδόπουλος, 1906).
• My little sister ( Η αδελφούλα μου . Αθήνα, Παπαδόπουλος, 1923).
• Children's Theater I ( Παιδικόν θέατρον Α΄ . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1926).
• Children's Theater II ( Παιδικόν θέατρον Β΄ . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1926).
• Bosphorus Castle and other stories ( Ο Πύργος του Βοσπόρου και άλλα διηγήματα . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1927.
• My good book ( Το καλό μου το βιβλίο . Αθήνα, Κολλάρος, 1931).
• The kid the head of the robbers is the menagerie of Totos (akin to Little Vovochka) and his company ( Ο μπέμπης αρχιλήσταρχος - Θηριοτροφείο Τοτού και συντροφία . Αθήνα, Δημητρκά
• I am hugging you, Fedon ( Σας ασπάζομαι, Φαίδων . Αθήνα, Οι φίλοι του βιβλίου, 1947).

• Απ. Σαχίνη, Το νεοελληνικό μυθιστόρημα , εκδ. Γαλαξίας, Αθήνα 1971
• Η παλαιότερη πεζογραφία μας , εκδ. Σοκόλη
• Άο φάντασμα , εκδ. αδελφοί Βλάσση
• Μυστικοί αρραβώνες , εκδ. αδελφοί Βλάσση
• Στέλλα Βιολάντη Ισαβέλλα , εκδ. αδελφοί Βλάσση
• Η Άπιστη , εκδ. αδελφοί Βλάσση

• Ελίζα-Αννα Δελβερούδη, «Ο Γρηγόριος Ξενόπουλος στον κινηματογράφο: Ο κόκκινος βράχος του Γρηγόρη Γρηγορίου», Γρηγόριος Ξενόπουλος, Πενήντα χρόνια από τον θάνατο ενός αθάνατου (1951-2001), Αθήνα, Ελληνικό Λογοτεχνικό και Ιστορικό Αρχείο, 2003, σ. 189-203.
• Χρυσόθεμις Σταματοπούλου-Βασιλάκου, "Τα μονόπρακτα έργα του Γρηγόριου Ξενόπουλου". Παράβασις , τόμ. 8, 2008, σσ. 483-504

• Μουσείο Γρηγορίου Ξενόπουλου
• Το Ε.Λ.Ι.Α. διαθέτει την βιβλιογραφία του Γρηγορίου Ξενόπουλου σε ψηφιακή μορφή.
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