KAZANTZAKIS PUBLICATIONS NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2012 CONTENTS KAZANTZAKIS PUBLICATIONS AND THE NATIONAL KAPODISTRIAN UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS 10,000 «FRIENDS» ON THE KAZANTZAKIS PUBLICATIONS FAN PAGE ON FACEBOOK «SYRTEIS ΜΥSTIKES» THE KAZANTZAKIAN WORD AS A MEDIUM OF ART «WHEN THE GODS CELEBRATE» IN ANCIENT OLYMPIA EXCERPT FROM SAVIORS OF GOD ON THE NEW ALBUM BY ROCK BAND KARMA NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS FORBIDDEN WORKS NEW RELEASE: CALENDAR 2013 IS OUT WITH EXCERPTS FROM THE WORKS OF NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS SUMMER, 1920
Pg. 2 KAZANTZAKIS PUBLICATIONS AND THE NATIONAL KAPODISTRIAN UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2012 THE KAZANTZAKIS PUBLICATIONS AND THE NATIONAL KAPODISTRIAN UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS The Philological Department of the Kazantzakis Publications, in collaboration with the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, is training graduates of the Athens School of Philosophy under the aegis of the University s official Practicum Program. This collaboration allows graduate students, who have chosen to conduct their dissertations on topics related to the life and work of Nikos Kazantzakis, the opportunity to gain a personal feel for the spiritual hearth of the great author, and grants students a first-hand experience of the publishing process of his books, from editing and book-binding to their distribution to the public.
Pg. 3 KAZANTZAKIS PUBLICATIONS AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2012 Katerina Liodaki Student in Classical Philology Athens School of Philosophy The contact and collaboration I had with the Kazantzakis Publications [Patroclos Stavrou] contributed greatly to my understanding of the publishing industry, which I consider very interesting. Doubtless, this was a singular opportunity in gaining information and education in the realm of publishing, as the University does not provide specific courses on text correction and editing. It is also important to note that my involvement with books, and particularly with the intellectuality of Nikos Kazantzakis and his works (especially in our day, when everything seems to be in a state of rapid decline), was a most precious refuge to me; it reminds us all of the greatness and tenacity of the human spirit. Aphrodite Riga Hellenic Post Corporate Relations Department for International Organizations, International Post Division During my Practicum at the Kazantzakis Publications as a student of the Athens School of Philology in the summer of 2001, I had the opportunity to learn about the life and work of the great modern Greek author, Nikos Kazantzakis. The focus of my work was locating his encyclopaedic entries in the monumental Eleftheroudakis Encyclopaedic Lexicon (1927-1931). In addition, I was given the opportunity to observe, firsthand, the entire process in the production of a book, with frequent visits to theoretical and applied production work spaces, such as the library and the book-binding facility. I am grateful to the University of Athens and to the Kazantzakis Publications for making it possible for me to work in one of the most important publishing houses in the nation.
Pg. 4 KAZANTZAKIS PUBLICATIONS AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2012 Despoina Konti Student of Classical Philology Athens School of Philosophy I gleaned knowledge on how a book is prepared for publication, and I was made privy to unknown aspects of the life and works of a man who was not honored enough by the place which he made known internationally Greece. I was able to approach the author and thinker, Nikos Kazantzakis, in a new light, and was able to observe and comprehend his idiom and other unique characteristics better. At the Kazantzakis Publications I found myself in a warm and friendly environment, an environment where serious and responsible work is offset by moments of creative joy Eleftheria Telioni Philologist PhD Candidate, University of Birmingham I found myself at the Kazantzakis Publications during my third year of studies in the Philology Department of the Athens School of Philosophy, thanks to the Department s Practicum Program. I began my internship in the Fall of 2006, and over the course of a month and a half, I worked on the correction and checking of print proofs, under the supervision of two superb philologists, Dr. Patroclos Stavrou and Ms. Evangelia Sofianou. In this brief time, I was given the opportunity to come into contact with the publishing industry and to get a better idea of the profession I would ultimately make my own. In addition, I was able to engage closely the works of the great Nikos Kazantzakis, works which have been at the fore of my research ever since. At the Kazantzakis Publications, not only was I given the opportunity to study a wealth of material of particular research interest to me, but was surrounded by people who were willing to assist me with anything I needed at a moment s notice. I feel fortunate for my time spent at the Kazantzakis Publications [Patroclos Stavrou], a place which, for me, was above all, a big learning experience and a place open and inviting for every reader, student, and researcher interested in the life and works of Nikos Kazantzakis.
Pg. 5 10,000 FRIENDS ON THE KAZANTZAKIS PUBLICATIONS FAN PAGE ON FACEBOOK NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2012 10,000 FRIENDS ON THE KAZANTZAKIS PUBLICATIONS FAN PAGE ON FACEBOOK Add Your Place Topics The Kazantzakis Publications is the Athens-based establishment which publishes and distributes the books of Nikos Kazantzakis and Eleni N. Kazantzakis. About Photos Our Books NEW RELEASE Videos
Pg. 6 10,000 FRIENDS ON THE KAZANTZAKIS PUBLICATIONS FAN PAGE ON FACEBOOK NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2012 10,000 «ΦΙΛΟΙ» ΣΤΗ ΣΕΛΙΔΑ FACEBOOK ΤΩΝ ΕΚΔΟΣΕΩΝ ΚΑΖΑΝΤΖΑΚΗ On August 15, 2012, the Kazantzakis Publications Fan Page on Facebook welcomed its 10,000 th friend. Our page was created on September 26, 2011, with the care and devotion of the Kazantzakis Publications Director of International Affairs, Nicole Chraniotis, who has an additional reason in putting her talents and creativity in service of the promotion of the works of Nikos Kazantzakis: she is the grand-daughter of renown Cretan sculptor, Nikos Sofialakis, to whom the great author entrusted two of his ideas to be written in marble during his time as Minister without portfolio in the 1945 Sofoulis government. Τhe famous Child of the Occupation is one of these works. Nikos Sofialakis passed away 1o years ago, leaving his grand-daughter as caretaker of his artistic legacy (www.sofialakis.org). Why is our Facebook Fan Page so important? This kind of online social media presence verifies the holistic maxim that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Our Facebook Fan Page is open to all and provides everyone with the opportunity to become members of a community of love and admiration for Nikos Kazantzakis a community that allows all those who are already familiar with his works to engage with other fans, and a place where new readers may acquaint themselves better with the works of our ecumenical author. Above all, our Fan Page is a dynamic platform where readers can have open and bilateral communication with the publishing house that disseminates the works of Nikos Kazantzakis. Moreover, we offer daily excerpts of his works, often in conjunction with important events from the chronology of his life, providing our followers with a dose of daily inspiration that offers our visitors a means for spiritual elevation and fortitude via the Kazantzakian Word.
Pg. 7 10,000 FRIENDS ON THE KAZANTZAKIS PUBLICATIONS FAN PAGE ON FACEBOOK NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2012 In this way, visitors are able to address their questions directly to the publishing house in charge of producing his works whether it be a question on the life or the works of Nikos Kazantzakis, or even on matters regarding the books themselves or their availability. The positive comments we receive daily give us great joy and pleasure, reminding us of the very reason we have placed ourselves in the service of the dissemination of the works of the great Cretan author, the steadfast and uncompromising Man of Crete, the author regarded as one of the Greats of World Literature. "...θέλω νὰ ξεθηκαρώσω, νὰ γλιτώσω ἀπ τὸν ἄνθρωπο, νὰ τιναχτῶ σὰ σπαθί. Ὅμοια, ἄχ! φωνάζει ἡ πεταλούδα ἡ σαβανωμένη, ὅντας σιμώνει ἡ ἄνοιξη, καὶ σκιρτᾶ ἀγωνιώντας καὶ ξεσκίζει, τανυούμενη σὲ ἄθλο μυστικό, τὸ σκληρὸ κουκούλι. Ὅμοια, ἄχ! φωνάζει κάθε στιγμὴ ὁ Θεός." (Νίκου Καζαντζάκη, ΣΥΜΠΟΣΙΟΝ, Εκδόσεις Καζαντζάκη [Πάτροκλος Σταύρου], σελ 17) " Τέλειωσε ὁ θέρος, ἀποκρίθηκε ὁ Μανολιός δόξα σοι ὁ Θεός, καλή ταν ἡ χρονιά. Μεθαύριο τελειώνει κι ὁ τρύγος, σὲ λίγο θ ἀρχίσουμε καὶ τὸ λιομάζωμα ἀκοῦστε τὸ λοιπὸν τὴ φωνὴ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποὺ τὴ γρικῶ νὰ σκίζει τὴν καρδιά μου: Ποιο είναι το αγαπημένο σας βιβλίο του Νίκου Καζαντζάκη; Ελάτε να το μοιραστείτε μαζί μας!
Ο ΚΑΖΑΝΤΖΑΚΗΣ ΕΊΝΑΙ ΠΑΡΑΔΕΙΓΜΑ ΖΩΗΣ ΓΙΑ ΜΕΝΑ ΕΧΩ ΣΧΕΔΟΝ ΔΙΑ ΒΑΣΕΙ ΟΛΑ ΤΟΥ ΤΑ ΒΙΒΛΙΑ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΑΞΕΠΕΡΑΣΤΟΣ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Kazantzakis, for me, is an example of how to live I ve read practically all of his works, he is simply incomparable!!!!) Τα λόγια και οι λέξεις είναι τα βόλια στην Αρματωσιά μας σε τούτη δώ τη ζήση! Ο Νίκος Καζαντζάκης, απλώς είναι ο Έλληνας, που δεν φοβήθηκε να πεί Αλήθειες μέσα από τα Έργα του γιά τον Ιερό Τόπο της Πατρίδας μας! Είναι Φάρος Ελληνισμού και Πνεύματος! Τιμώ το έργο του με τα λίγα μου λόγια (These words are the arrows in the Quiver of this here life! Nikos Kazantzakis is simply the Greek who was not afraid to speak Truths through his Works about the Sanctity of our Homeland! He is a Beacon of Hellenism and Spirit! I honor his work with my few words...) Πραγματικά έχω μείνει άναυδη με την εξαιρετική δουλειά που έχετε κάνει!!!! Πριν από λίγο ακολούθησα τον παρακάτω σύνδεσμο και βρέθηκα σε έναν ψηφιακό παράδεισο!!! Πόσα, πόσα μπράβο σας αξίζουν για τον καλαίσθητο αλλά και χρήσιμο τρόπο με τον οποίο έχετε στήσει την ιστοσελίδα και το blog! Κοίτα να δεις τι δώρο μου επεφύλασσε ο Ιούνης! Καλή σας μέρα! Συνεχίστε ακάθεκτοι! (I am truly speechless with your exceptional work!!! A short while ago I followed the link you ve posted, and found myself in a digital paradise! You deserve so much praise for the artful and useful manner with which you ve set up your website and blog! June truly had a gift in store for me! Have a great day! Keep going strong!) Giorgos Trakakis Πολλά ευχαριστώ για την κατατοπιστικότατη απάντησή σας! Από τα σχόλια του Νίκου Καζαντζάκη στο περιοδικό Νουμά σχετικά με αυτή την τριλογία (τα οποία μας παρέχετε στο βιβλίο Σπασμένες ψυχές ), μου φάνηκε εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρουσα και γι αυτό αναζήτησα την τύχη των άλλων δύο μυθιστορημάτων της τριλογίας. Η απάντησή σας είναι πολύ διαφωτιστική! Γενικά τα σχόλια που έχετε προσθέσει σε όλες τις νέες εκδόσεις είναι πάρα πολύ χρήσιμα! Ευχαριστώ και πάλι, καλή συνέχεια στο έργο σας! (Many thanks for your very informative answer! I was intrigued by Nikos Kazantzakis commentary in the magazine NOUMAS regarding the trilogy (which you provide us with in the novel, BROKEN SOULS), which is why I inquired into the other two novels of the trilogy. Your answer has been most enlightening! In general, all of the commentaries in your new editions are incredibly useful! Thank you once again best of luck with your work!) Ο ΑΓΑΠΗΜΕΝΟΣ ΜΟΥ...ΣΤΟ ΔΗΜΟΤΙΚΟ ΞΕΚΙΝΗΣΑ ΔΙΑΒΑΖΟΝΤΑΣ ΚΑΖΑΝΤΖΑΚΗ...ΣΤΟ ΓΥΜΝΑΣΙΟ ΑΡΧΙΣΑ ΝΑ ΚΑΤΑΛΑΒΑΙΝΩ...ΣΤΟ ΛΥΚΕΙΟ ΤΟΝ ΜΕΛΕΤΟΥΣΑ...ΑΡΓΟΤΕΡΑ ΑΡΧΗΣΑ ΝΑ ΤΟΝ ΝΟΙΩΘΩ...ΚΑΙ ΕΧΩ ΤΗΝ ΕΛΠΙΔΑ ΓΙΑ ΆΛΛΗ ΜΙΑ ΦΟΡΑ...ΝΑ ΜΠΩ ΠΙΟ ΒΑΘΕΙΑ...ΑΝ ΠΡΟΛΑΒΩ!!!!! (My favorite author in Grade School I began to read Kazantzakis...In Middle School, I began to understand him...in High School, I studied him...later I began to feel his words...and I hope, once more, to get even deeper in his works if I can!)
Pg. 9 SYRTEIS MYSTIKES THE KAZANTZAKIAN WORD AS A MEDIUM FOR ART NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2012 SYRTEIS MYSTIKES THE KAZANTZAKIAN WORD AS A MEDIUM FOR ART On August 4, 2012, the Dance Theater Dagipoli presented its modern dance production Syrteis Mystikes at the Nikos Kazantzakis Garden Theater in Herakleion, Crete, using the Kazantzakian Word as a medium for art. The show, part of the official events for the Municipality of Herakleion s Summer Festival, was created and performed by disabled dancers and artists. The Kazantzakis Publications embrace the extraordinary effort of Giorgos Christakis, owner of the Dance Theater, and invite all of you to explore the bounds of the human body with these amazing artists as your guides. Below is an excerpt from the official Press Release of the Dagipoli Dance Theater about this production: Syrteis (Foreshores): Sand dunes in the depths of the sea which change shape and form when they are drawn by the currents. Using the words of Nikos Kazantzakis as our medium, bodies and souls travel and writhe as they seek to answer life s greatest questions. Love, conflict, the aloneness of forms, their harmony, their fire an exploration of the very bounds of the human body. The changes in the body s form in relation to the mind s influence; the body in a different function, and the stereotypical, canonical body; how one completes the other; the relationship between the two; characters frequently shifting forms in a game of constant changes, exalting and exhausting; a game which calls on the viewer to come out of the comfort zone of the casual observer and to test the limits of his endurance.
Pg. 10 WHEN THE GODS CELEBRATE IN ANCIENT OLYMPIA NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2012 WHEN THE GODS CELEBRATE IN ANCIENT OLYMPIA
Pg. 11 WHEN THE GODS CELEBRATE IN ANCIENT OLYMPIA NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2012 I carry Greece within me, the eternal Greece! I live abroad but my heart roams in Greece! wrote the much traveled Nikos Kazantzakis in his letters to Thrasyvoulos Androulidakis* in 1951 and 1956. On Friday, July 27 2012, the Director of the Kazantzakis Publications, Niki Stavrou, attended the great celebration for the Greek Diaspora entitled WHEN THE GODS CELEBRATE, held annually at the Saint John s Chapel of Exile in Makrisia, Ancient Olympia, to speak about Nikos Kazantzakis and Patroclos Stavrou. The event, inspired and organized by acclaimed and beloved journalist, poet, lyricist and actor, Giannis Tzouanopoulos, honored the life and work of publisher and author Patroclos Stavrou, who for thirty years served as Under Secretary to the President of the Republic of Cyprus, and who devoted the last forty years of his life to the dissemination of the works of our great ecumenical author, Nikos Kazantzakis. Τhe large and enthusiastic audience had the opportunity to hear the entire Axion Esti by Odysseas Elytis and Mikis Theodorakis, performed by the ERT Orchestra of Contemporary Music Choir and the Mikis Theodorakis Popular Orchestra, under the direction of maestro Andreas Pilarinos. The event was broadcasted live by Voice of Greece and Radio Friendship of Greek Radio to the entire Greek Diaspora, and will also be broadcasted by Greek Radio Television (ERT). The Mikis Theodorakis Orchestra under the direction of maestro Andreas Pilarinos. (From the left) The Ambassador of Cyprus, Mr. Joseph, The Minister of Culture, Mr. Tzavaras, and Niki Stavrou. The very first gala event for this celebration was held over twenty years ago, and had paid tribute to Nikos Kazantzakis and Michael Cacoyannis, with Alan Bates (protagonist of the Academy Awardwinning film by Michael Cacoyannis, Zorba the Greek), Eleni N. Kazantzakis, Mikis Theodorakis, Patroclos Stavrou, and Michael Cacoyannis as honored guests. *Beloved friend of Nikos Kazantzakis, he was the warden at the Aegina Prison during the Nazi occupation, and according to Eleni, saved the couple from starvation. (See Eleni N. Kazantzakis Nikos Kazantzakis, A Biography Based on his Letters, Kazantzakis Publications) Giannis Tzouanopoulos
Pg. 12 NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS FORBIDDEN WORKS NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2012 NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS FORBIDDEN WORKS On June 2, 20, and 30, 2012 the online platform Koryfogrammi organized a series of three lectures entitled, The Forbidden Works of Nikos Kazantzakis, offering an alternative approach to the analysis of the works Christ Re-Crucified, Saviors of God, and The Last Temptation of Christ. Niki Stavrou, Director of the Kazantzakis Publications greeted the packed conference hall at the Uindy Athens Cultural Center and spoke of the persecution literary giant, Nikos Kazantzakis, had suffered by the Church and State. On June 30, 2012 the lecture was moved to the Ionian Center in Plaka, Athens, where Niki Stavrou delivered a speech entitled, Even this one, does not exist. EXCERPTS FROM SAVIORS OF GOD FEATURED IN THE NEW ALBUM OF ROCK BAND KARMA The new album of rock band KARMA, The Debt, contains excerpts of Nikos Kazantzakis Saviors of God. KARMA, on the occasion of the 55 th anniversary of the death of Nikos Kazantzakis, was inspired by the power of his Kazantzakian Word, and incorporated excerpts from his philosophical opus, Saviors of God in their latest work. The album, a production by Anna Manolaraki and Vassilis Drakontaidis (groove house studios), which contains the same-titled track, with the participation of the famous Cretan-lyre player, Giorgos Skordalos, also contains the track Celebration, with the vocal accompaniment of the Spyros Lambrou Children s Choir in which the Irish Bagpipe, recorded in Scotland by Bernie Precious, is heard for the first time in Greek music. EXCERPTS OF SAVIORS OF GOD IN THE NEW ALBUM BY ROCK BAND KARMA
N E W R E L E A S E K A Z A N T Z A K I S P U B L I C A T I O N S CALENDAR 2013 Τhe 2013 Calendar from the Kazantzakis Publications will accompany your days with excerpts from the works of Nikos Kazantzakis and photographs from his life. The fundamental basis of the work of Nikos Kazantzakis is internal freedom, as expressed in his Cretan Glance: to look fearlessly into fear, to live the life of mortal men and to behave as though you are immortal. On his tombstone, which today is a site of global pilgrimage, the words he requested have been inscribed: I fear nothing I hope for nothing I am free
August was, when I was a boy, and continues to be, my favorite month; he brings the grapes and the figs, the melons and the watermelons; I named him, Saint August; he is my protector, I thought, to him I will say my prayers; and when I want something, I will ask it of him, and he will ask it of God, and God will grant it to me NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2012
NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2012