In Memory of Kostas Karyotakis

Κaryotakis Κostas, as well as other pre-war writers, do not belong to the choir of the exalted of the present left subculture. Moreover, for the particular poet, the left party had a clear position, a negative one in all cases. Characteristic is the critique of the well-known Communist Vasilis Rotas in “Greek letters” in February 1928, a critique in which he literally imprecated and accused Karyotakis.

Kostas Karyotakis has not been studied and his work has not been valued in its true dimensions. Everyone is generally aware that he was a "melancholic" poet and nothing else. Karyotakis's pessimism was a heroic one, and why not say predictive about what will happen in our century.

The poet passed away early, at the age of 32, choosing to leave life in exactly the same way as Sykutris chose and describes in a vivid manner in the "Heroic Way of Life". From the lyrics that I would dare to call prophetic, I quote you an extract from his poem "In the statue of Liberty that illuminates the world", a poem dedicated to the statue of Liberty, located at the metropolis of our present miserable life, in New York:

"Liberty, Liberty, merchants and consortia and Jews will buy you. There are many debts, many sins that the generations will read when they will liken you to Dorian Gray's portrait".

This text does not seek to make an extensive reference to the work of the tragic suicide victim of Greek poetry.

But in a few words, I will say that it is unfair to consider Kostas Karyotakis as a simple sophisticated weeper who passed away early. He was undoubtedly a great creator who, with his passage, drew the Greek art of prose. He left Preveza, who had been displaced unfavorably due to his political ideology. In Preveza, at the place of his death he wrote the homonymous poem "Preveza" which ended like this:

"If at least, among people, one died from disgust ...Silent, sad, in modest ways, we would all entertain ourselves at the funeral"

[caption id="attachment_6575" align="aligncenter" width="498"] Kostas Karyotakis took his own life in Preveza on July 21st 1928[/caption]

Then, in Greece of 1928, in Greece which had just recently seen the dream of the Great Idea to blow out, only one had dared to die from disgust. Today in Greece of 1996, is there someone so tired and disgusted, so brave so as to spit our degradation on its face as well as the shame of our miserable time?

From the book of the Leader of Golden Dawn, Nikolaos Michaloliakos, “I will always recognize you, by the dreadful sword you hold”, about Modern Greek Literature and Poetry that you can find in the Nationalist Bookstore.

http://www.xryshaygh.com/en

[caption id="attachment_6576" align="aligncenter" width="612"] Karyotakis in Paris[/caption]

Posthumous Fame

Our death is needed by the boundless nature all around
and is craved by the purple mouths of flowers.
If Spring were again to come, it will again leave us,
and then we shall not even be shadows of other shadows.

Our death is awaited by the bright sunlight.
To experience another such triumphant dusk,
and then to leave those April evenings,
for the distant kingdoms of the dark.

Only our lines may stay behind us,
ten solitary lines just to remain, like
pigeons scattered by castaways at luck,
but when the message comes it is already late.