Greek poet, essayist, literary critic, short story writer and playwright, one of the most important intellectual figures of modern Hellenism. He was a central figure of the literary 'generation of the 1880s' and the so-called 'New Athenian School', which rallied young poets who opposed the excesses of Athenian romanticism and were interested in the introduction of demotic language in poetry. His poetic work, which exceeds twenty collections, is dominated by Greece as an ideal and object of love, the course of the Greek nation through the centuries, the attempt to creatively assimilate the ancient Greek spirit and popular tradition, and the spirit of the universality of Greek culture.
Kostis Palamas was born in Patras on 13 January 1859 and was descended from an old family from the middle of Greece, which had to show national fighters and intellectual creators. At the age of seven he was orphaned by his father and mother and went to live in Messolonghi with his uncle Dimitrios Palamas. In Messolonghi, which he loved and sang so nostalgically, he lived until 1875, when he left for Athens and enrolled at the Law School. It did not take him long to understand that his real vocation was poetry and, abandoning his studies, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the art of speech, especially poetry. Besides, from the age of nine he was writing verses and reading Greek and foreign poets.
In 1879 he began to write for the newspapers and magazines of his time and in 1886 he printed his first collection of poems, entitled Songs of my Country. In this book, as in the two that followed, The Hymn to Athena (1889) and The Eyes of the Soul (1992), Palamas reveals his early youthful efforts, endowed with a rich nobility and sensitivity. Along with Drosinis, Polemis and other poets of the New School, he uses the vernacular, in contrast to the romantic purist poets, Soutsos, Vassiliadis, Paraschos and others.
On 27 December 1887 he married Maria Valvi, a scion of a political family in Messolonghi, with whom he had three children, Leandros (1891-1958), Nausicaa and Alkis. On 15 October 1897, Palamas was appointed secretary of the University of Athens in honour of his poetic work. That is why the newspapers of the time (Estia, Asty, Acropolis) praised the decision of the then Minister of Education, Andreas Panagiotopoulos, taking the opportunity to praise the poet. It is said that, when Palamas presented himself for service, the then rector of the University, Alkiviadis Krassas, told him: "I hope, Mr. Palamas, now that you have a decent position, that you will stop writing poems." Fortunately, the hope of the eminent urbanist of the time was dashed and Greek art gained a leading poetic figure. In this small book, the poet seems more mature, has a personal tone, and gives concisely and succinctly the emotions that the world of history and life gives him, as the poet Sophia Mavroidis-Papadakis points out. The death of his young child, Alkis, crushes his paternal heart, which seeks redemption in poetry. He then writes Tafos (1898), "those lyrical tears, crystallized into stalactites", as the critic Andreas Karantonis writes.
In 1904 Palamas releases the poetry collection Asaleite Zoi, a work of the poet's maturity, in which pure emotion is tightly bound with the contemplation and eloquence of verse. This was followed by poetry collections such as The Woes of the Lagoon, State and Solitude, The Altars and his two great epic compositions The Gypsy's Dodecanalogue (1907) and The King's Flute (1910), which elevate him to the top of the poetic Parnassus. His last collection of poetry was The Nights of Femius (1935).
In addition to poetry, Palamas wrote a play, Trissygene (1903), which stands out for its genuine poetic emotion, a series of short stories, the best of which is Death of a Wrestler, and numerous critical essays. In 1926 he became a member of the Academy of Athens and in 1930 its president. In 1934 he was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature, his fame having long since crossed the borders of the Greek state. He was particularly interested in the Linguistic Question. He was an ardent supporter of demoticism and a leading figure of the demoticist movement by virtue of his prestige, but also by virtue of the sanctions he suffered for his linguistic struggle (temporary removal from the university). His stance on the Evangelicals and Oresteia was remarkable.
Kostis Palamas died on 27 February 1943 and his funeral the following day at the A Cemetery of Athens turned into an anti-Catholic rally.
Kostis Palamas' contribution to Greek letters was enormous.
Kostis Palamas' contribution to Greek letters was enormous. He significantly renewed the poetic form, making the most of the possibilities of our literary tradition, from Homer and Romanos the Melodist, to Kalvos, whom he established, and our popular song. At the same time, he made a huge literary opening to the literatures of Europe, grafting his poetry with the contemporary currents of Parnassism, Symbolism and Realism. With his pure universal idealism and lyricism, Palamas created an entire era and became a teacher to younger generations. Therefore, he is rightly considered, after Dionysios Solomos, our second national poet.
Source: sansimera.gr
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