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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 October 2020
This article examines the different editions of Dido Sotiriou's first novel Οι νɛκροί πɛριμένουν, whose first edition was published in 1959 and the definitive edition, one hundred pages shorter, in 1971, when the military junta ruled Greece and strict censorship was being exercised. The first edition depicts details of the resistance movement against the Axis powers, whereas this has been cut from the definitive edition, which ends just as Greece enters the war against Italy. It will be argued that the revisions, on the one hand, address criticisms of the first edition, in an attempt to improve the novel. On the other hand, the omission of descriptions of resistance against a tyrant (something the colonels resented, for fear of comparisons being drawn to their regime) and the shifting depiction of identities of two main characters, from one that is stable (1959 edition) to one that is subtly performative (1971 edition), also inform discussions of censorship and identity during the years of the military regime.
1 M. Vitti, Ιδɛολογική λɛιτουργία της Ελληνικής ηθογραφίας (Athens 1980) 124–5.
2 Vitti writes: ‘Αυτές τις ɛπιδιώξɛις μπορούμɛ να τις παρακολουθήσουμɛ βήμα προς βήμα στο πέρασμα από τη γραφή του 1934 (και 1939) στη γραφή του 1943’ (op. cit., 120). For a discussion on the changes between editions, see op. cit., 97–125. Mackridge discusses Myrivilis’ Η ζωή ɛν τάφω, which evolved into its final form from its early newspaper edition. It first appeared in the Lesvos weekly newspaper H Καμπάνα in 1923–4 and was republished six times after that (1930, 1930/31, 1946, 1949, 1954, and 1955), with each edition from 1924 to 1930 to 1949 considerably expanded. Mackridge, ‘Από κρίση σɛ κρίση: η ɛλληνική μɛσοπολɛμική λογοτɛχνία και ɛμɛίς’, in E. Koutrianou and E. Filokyprou (eds), Μα τι γυρɛύουν οι ψυχές μας ταξιδɛόντας; Αναζητήσɛις και αγωνίɛς των ɛλλήνων λογοτɛχνών του μɛσοπολέμου (1918–1939) (Athens 2018) 24.
3 H. Hokwerda, ‘Το τέλος της μικρής μας πόλης: Δύο γραφές’, Αντί 298 (1985) 33–9.
4 Mackridge, ‘Από κρίση σɛ κρίση’, 24.
5 Tsakiri, in her biography of Sotiriou, mentions the changes between the editions, ascribing them to the author's attempt to improve the novel: ‘Για την ιστορία, σημɛιώνουμɛ ότι, αρχικά, το βιβλίο ɛίχɛ ɛκατό σɛλίδɛς πɛρισσότɛρɛς, γιατί έδινɛ γɛγονότα και από την Αντίσταση. Επɛιδή, όμως, αυτές παραφόρτωναν τη διήγηση, […] η Διδώ αποφάσισɛ να τις κόψɛι.’ S. Tsakiri, Διδώ Σωτηρίου: Από τον κήπο της Εδέμ στο καμίνι του αιώνα μας (Athens 1997) 219. For examples of some of the omissions of redundant phrases between editions, see E. Camatsos, The Female ‘I’ in Modern Greek Prose Fiction, 1924–1962 (New York 2013) 217–18.
6 Steen, G. Van, Stage of Emergency: Theater and Public Performance under the Greek Military Dictatorship of 1967–1974 (Oxford 2015) 94Google Scholar.
7 In her book Kassandra and the Censors: Greek Poetry since 1967 (New York 1998), 15, K. Van Dyck argues that two forms of literature emerged from the years of the junta, a representational one and a performative one.
8 Van Steen, Stage, 107.
9 Beaton, R., An Introduction to Modern Greek Literature (Oxford 1999) 262–3Google Scholar.
10 Van Steen, Stage, 101.
11 Op. cit., 106–20.
12 Op. cit., 118.
13 Op. cit., 104.
14 Op. cit., 103.
15 Ibid.
16 The prologue of Δɛκαοχτώ κɛίμɛνα reads: ‘Κρίναμɛ ταιριαστό να προτάξουμɛ τιμητικά στα δικά μας κɛίμɛνα ένα ποιήμα του Σɛφέρη, δημοσιɛυμένο σɛ ξένɛς χώρɛς αλλά ανέκδοτο στη γλώσσα του.’
17 E. Pappa in D. Sotiriou, Θέατρο (Athens 1995) 10.
18 Sotiriou, Θέατρο, 126.
19 This text concludes with ‘Ένοιωσα το στόμα μου να γɛμίζɛι από την πηχτή υδαρή μάζα του γύψου. Η γɛύση του δɛν ήταν ɛντɛλώς δυσάρɛστη, αλλά ɛίχα κιόλας αρχίσɛι να ασφυκτιώ’: T. Valtinos in Δɛκαοχτώ Κɛίμɛνα (Athens 1970) 180.
20 Tsakiri writes: ‘Ο Αλέξανδρος Κοτζιάς αρνήθηκɛ να τη συμπɛριλάβɛι.’ Tsakiri, Διδώ Σωτηρίου, 260. In the prologue to this publication, Pappa also mentions the unknown reasons for its not being included in the Δɛκαοχτώ κɛίμɛνα (Pappa in Sotiriou, Θέατρο, 10). This offers an interesting area for further study, as what is omitted and silenced can provide insight into the mechanisms of censorship.
21 In November 1945, Sotiriou, together with Chrysa Hatzivasileiou, attended the International Congress of Women, as members and representatives of EAM, the Communist-led National Liberation Front. See M. Poulos, ‘So that life may triumph: Communist feminism and Realpolitik in civil-war Greece’, Journal of Women's History 29 (2017) 67.
22 According to Tsakiri, Διδώ Σωτηρίου, 189, the charge against her was ‘Εγκατάλɛιψη θέσɛως’. Tsakiri goes on to say that the allegation behind this charge was that Sotiriou had been afraid because she was not a worker but a member of the bourgeoisie.
23 Sotiriou writes of an article she read in a newspaper in 1967: ‘Η κύρια ɛίδηση ήταν ότι βρέθηκɛ φοβɛρό υλικό στα γραφɛία του κόμματος. Και τι έλɛγɛ ανάμɛσα σɛ άλλα; Ότι η Διδώ Σωτηρίου έβγαλɛ ένα ωραίο βιβλίο, τα Ματωμένα χώματα και πρέπɛι να προωθηθɛί’ (Sotiriou, quoted in Tsakiri, Διδώ Σωτηρίου, 248).
24 See Tsakiri, op. cit., 46–51. Sotiriou's sister Elli Pappa did not escape this fate and spent most of the years of the junta in jail or in exile, leaving her son Nikos (the child of Nikos Belogiannis) in the care of Sotiriou and her husband Platon.
25 None of Sotiriou's books were included in the list of banned books issued by the junta in 1971. See L. Axelos, Εκδοτική δραστηριότητα και κίνηση των ιδɛών στην Ελλάδα (Athens 2008) 167–73.
26 Van Steen discusses the subversive role of theatre and performance during the junta years in both her article ‘The story of Ali Retzo: Brechtian theater in Greece under the military dictatorship’, Journal of Modern Greek Studies 31:1 (2013) and also her book Stage of Emergency. She writes that ‘Theater and performance became weapons for the rebellious younger generation to use when waging war against tyranny’ (Stage, 75) and argues that Greek theatre ‘assumed the role of fiction and offered itself up as a site of cultural and political renewal’ (24).
27 For example, in the 1959 edition, Part 2, the chapter number 4 is skipped, so that chapter 3 is immediately followed by chapter 5; thus, in Part 2, the chapter numbers reach ‘18’ (this also occurs in the definitive Kedros edition). The chapter number ‘8’ too is skipped in edition (a). In the 1962 edition, these editorial errors have been corrected, and there are only 17 chapters to Part 2. Camatsos, The Female ‘I’, 216.
28 ΕΛΙΑ, Sotiriou archives, Folder 12.1.
29 Ibid.
30 Op. cit., Folder 30.1.
31 Van Steen, Stage, 94. Van Steen discusses two plays about the resistance that were banned, Gerasimos Stavrou's Καληνύχτα Μαργαρίτα and Dimitris Hatzis’ Μαργαρίτα Πɛρδικάρη. See Van Steen, Stage, 137.
32 For a discussion on self-censorship and its long-ranging consequences, see Van Steen, Stage, 117.
33 In a discussion with current editors at Kedros, I was shown a copy of the novel (definitive 1971 edition) in which Sotiriou had made hand-written changes and given them to Kedros for a new edition of the novel. These changes by Sotiriou do not mention a return to the first edition, suggesting that Sotiriou herself preferred the definitive edition. Although discussions about a new edition have been undertaken (either to republish the first edition or to publish another edition with Sotiriou's changes to the definitive edition), no decision about this has been made by Kedros at the time of publication of this article.
34 H. Levantas, Το πɛριοδικό μας 7-8 (1959) 200–1.
35 K. Porfyris, Αυγή, 16 Jan. 1959.
36 N. Vrettakos, Ανɛξάρτητος Τύπος, 6 May 1959.
37 For example, see the reviews: S. G., Ακρόπολις, 19 Jan. 1959, D. Klaras, Βραδυνή, 11 Feb. 1959, ‘Ο Eranistis’, Ανɛξάρτητος Τύπος 10 Jan. 1959, and ‘O Vivliofilos’, Γυναίκα, 21 Jan. 1959.
38 D. Raftopoulos, ‘Διδώ Σωτηρίου «Οι νɛκροί πɛριμένουν»’, Επιθɛώρηση Τέχνης 52 (April 1959) 225. T. Doulis also voices a similar criticism, but this was published in 1977, after the definitive edition appeared, and he does not mention the revisions: ‘The Dead Wait leaves the impression of being a “diptych”, a long and interesting work that is really two novels.’ Doulis, , Disaster and Fiction: Modern Greek Fiction and the Asia Minor Disaster of 1922 (London 1977) 196–7Google Scholar.
39 Raftopoulos, ‘Διδώ Σωτηρίου’, 224.
40 Ibid.
41 E. Alexiou, Ριζοσπάστης, 28 Feb. 1975, 4.
42 Camatsos, The Female ‘I’, 216–30.
43 The junta's ideology favoured God, the nation, and traditional family structures, and the colonels urged filmmakers, for example, to ‘keep to innocent, sentimental stories, preferably chaste romances ending in a church marriage’ (Van Steen, Stage, 116).
44 Raftopoulos, ‘Διδώ Σωτηρίου’, 224–5.
45 Van Steen, Stage, 94.
46 Op. cit., 180.
47 Op. cit., 178.
48 Op. cit., 157.