Elias Petropoulos
Encyclopedia
Elias Petropoulos who was born in Greece but spent much of his life in France, holds a unique place in the intellectual life of Europe. A self-described "urban anthropologist," he wrote widely and seriously on aspects of Greek life which were rarely considered objects of serious study: the design of the ubiquitous balconies, courtyards, ironwork, and windows of Greek buildings, the methods and vocabulary of preparing coffee and the art of telling fortunes from coffee-grounds, the traditional layout and functioning of brothels, the role of bean soup as an unheralded Greek national dish, the specialized slang of the Greek homosexual scene — it is claimed that his book Kaliarda (Καλιαρντά) was the first dictionary of gay slang
in any language — the Greek drug users' underworld, and above all, the Greek musical form rebetiko
, of which he was certainly the major historian. His major work, Rebetika Traghoudhia, extensively documents the lyrics and instrumentation of this music, as well as the lifestyle associated with it. The publication of the first edition of this book in Greece in 1968 so scandalized the ruling dictatorship that he was jailed for five months.
Subsequent controversial books he authored resulted in several more jail sentences and fines, resulting ultimately in his decision to leave Greece to live permanently in France.
He also published poetry, both original and in translation.
on the 26th of June 1928, but spent his early years in Thessaloniki
, where his father, a junior civil servant, was transferred when Elias was six. Thessaloniki was at the time a multicultural centre with an important Jewish population. During the second world war, Petropoulos was active in Greek resistance
movement against Nazi occupation. His father was killed in the front. The body was never found and this scarred young Elias for the rest of his life. In 1947 during the Greek Civil War
, he was briefly imprisoned for his participation in left wing organisations. Afterwards he finished high school, got a job in the Thessaloniki city council as a minor civil servant, and finished a degree in Law in the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki. In 1949 he was fired from his post because of his convictions, after which he spent 8 years unemployed and marginalised. In 1958 he started his long trajectory as a writer, essayist and political commentator which lasted until his death. In 1963, when progressive politician Gregoris Lambrakis
was assassinated by right wing extremists in Thessaloniki, Petropoulos wrote lengthy articles in local newspapers. Despite writing anonymously, he was interrogated by the police for his opinions. He has a daughter named Lyda Petropoulou (architect).
and started working as a columnist in "Mesimvrini" newspaper and "Eikones" monthly. At the same time he published his first major treatise, concerning three significant figures of contemporary Greek culture, eponymously titled "Elytis Moralis
Tsarouchis
". In the following ten years he embarked in a thorough and systematic exploration of Greek marginal subcultures. He befriended homosexuals, prostitutes, rebetiko
musicians, hashish
smokers, petty thieves and many other people that populate the margins of Greek society. He studied their culture, language and customs, and wrote extensively about them. At the same time he turned his critical skills and corrosive sense of humour against the hypocrisy of dominant culture and the corruption and repression of the Greek state. The most notable books of this period are:
·"The manual of the good thief" ("Το εγχειρίδιο του καλού κλέφτη"), a satirical but precise description of the criminal underworld, the practices of the police (including an extensive and detailed description of the methods of torture
employed) and the state of the Greek prisons of the time.
·"Kaliarnta" ("Καλιαρντά"), a glossary of the idiom used between homosexuals and transvestites at the time, which is thought to be the first gay slang dictionary written in any language.
·"Rempetika Traghoudia" ("Ρεμπέτικα Τραγούδια"), an extensive cataloguing and analysis of the Rebetiko
musical style, an urban music that emerged in Greece in the early 20th century and was prohibited and marginalised until well after the 1950s.
The publishing of this controversial material that is often irreverent towards the establishment and defies attempts at censorship, earned Petropoulos three different jail sentences during the dictatorship of the colonels. It is an interesting fact that Petropoulos was the only Greek during the 7-year dictatorship that had an identity card stating that he was an atheist. (Religious beliefs were obligatorily mentioned on Greek identity documents until recent years). The continuous persecution that outlasted the dictatorship forced him to self-exile in Paris
, where he continued writing and publishing ethnographic works. There he studied Turkology
and later he started lecturing at various Universities, most notably the Free University of Berlin
.
In 2003 he died of cancer in Paris at the age of 75. According to his will, his body was cremated and his ashes were thrown in a sewer by his life-long partner Mary Koukoule. This scene was captured on film in the 2004 documentary "Elias Petropoulos: A world underground" ("Ηλίας Πετρόπουλος: Ένας κόσμος υπόγειος"), directed by Kalliopi Legaki. The documentary, that contains the last interview given by Petropoulos and an overview of his life and work, was given the Award of the International Federation of Film Fritics (FIPRESCI
) in the 2005 Thessaloniki Film Festival.
Books by Elias Petropoulos:
Gay slang
LGBT slang, LGBT speak or gay slang is a set of slang used predominantly among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It has been used in various languages, including English and Japanese since the early 1900s as a means by members of the LGBT community as a group to self-advertise as a...
in any language — the Greek drug users' underworld, and above all, the Greek musical form rebetiko
Rebetiko
Rebetiko, plural rebetika, , occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek folk music which have come to be grouped together since the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early...
, of which he was certainly the major historian. His major work, Rebetika Traghoudhia, extensively documents the lyrics and instrumentation of this music, as well as the lifestyle associated with it. The publication of the first edition of this book in Greece in 1968 so scandalized the ruling dictatorship that he was jailed for five months.
Subsequent controversial books he authored resulted in several more jail sentences and fines, resulting ultimately in his decision to leave Greece to live permanently in France.
He also published poetry, both original and in translation.
Early life
Petropoulos was born in AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
on the 26th of June 1928, but spent his early years in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, where his father, a junior civil servant, was transferred when Elias was six. Thessaloniki was at the time a multicultural centre with an important Jewish population. During the second world war, Petropoulos was active in Greek resistance
Greek Resistance
The Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis Occupation of Greece in the period 1941–1944, during World War II.-Origins:...
movement against Nazi occupation. His father was killed in the front. The body was never found and this scarred young Elias for the rest of his life. In 1947 during the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
, he was briefly imprisoned for his participation in left wing organisations. Afterwards he finished high school, got a job in the Thessaloniki city council as a minor civil servant, and finished a degree in Law in the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki. In 1949 he was fired from his post because of his convictions, after which he spent 8 years unemployed and marginalised. In 1958 he started his long trajectory as a writer, essayist and political commentator which lasted until his death. In 1963, when progressive politician Gregoris Lambrakis
Gregoris Lambrakis
Grigoris Lambrakis was a Greek politician, physician, track and field athlete, and member of the faculty of the School of Medicine at the University of Athens.-Early life:...
was assassinated by right wing extremists in Thessaloniki, Petropoulos wrote lengthy articles in local newspapers. Despite writing anonymously, he was interrogated by the police for his opinions. He has a daughter named Lyda Petropoulou (architect).
Later years
In 1965 he moved to AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and started working as a columnist in "Mesimvrini" newspaper and "Eikones" monthly. At the same time he published his first major treatise, concerning three significant figures of contemporary Greek culture, eponymously titled "Elytis Moralis
Yiannis Moralis
Yiannis Moralis was an important Greek visual artist and part of the so-called "Generation of the 30s".-Life:...
Tsarouchis
Yannis Tsarouchis
-Early life:Born in Piraeus, he studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts . He was also a student of Photios Kontoglou, who introduced him to Byzantine iconography, while he also studied popular architecture and dressing customs...
". In the following ten years he embarked in a thorough and systematic exploration of Greek marginal subcultures. He befriended homosexuals, prostitutes, rebetiko
Rebetiko
Rebetiko, plural rebetika, , occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek folk music which have come to be grouped together since the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early...
musicians, hashish
Hashish
Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...
smokers, petty thieves and many other people that populate the margins of Greek society. He studied their culture, language and customs, and wrote extensively about them. At the same time he turned his critical skills and corrosive sense of humour against the hypocrisy of dominant culture and the corruption and repression of the Greek state. The most notable books of this period are:
·"The manual of the good thief" ("Το εγχειρίδιο του καλού κλέφτη"), a satirical but precise description of the criminal underworld, the practices of the police (including an extensive and detailed description of the methods of torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
employed) and the state of the Greek prisons of the time.
·"Kaliarnta" ("Καλιαρντά"), a glossary of the idiom used between homosexuals and transvestites at the time, which is thought to be the first gay slang dictionary written in any language.
·"Rempetika Traghoudia" ("Ρεμπέτικα Τραγούδια"), an extensive cataloguing and analysis of the Rebetiko
Rebetiko
Rebetiko, plural rebetika, , occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek folk music which have come to be grouped together since the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early...
musical style, an urban music that emerged in Greece in the early 20th century and was prohibited and marginalised until well after the 1950s.
The publishing of this controversial material that is often irreverent towards the establishment and defies attempts at censorship, earned Petropoulos three different jail sentences during the dictatorship of the colonels. It is an interesting fact that Petropoulos was the only Greek during the 7-year dictatorship that had an identity card stating that he was an atheist. (Religious beliefs were obligatorily mentioned on Greek identity documents until recent years). The continuous persecution that outlasted the dictatorship forced him to self-exile in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he continued writing and publishing ethnographic works. There he studied Turkology
Turkology
Turkology is a complex of humanities sciences studying languages, history, literature, folklore, culture, and ethnology of people speaking Turkic languages and Turkic peoples in chronological and comparative context...
and later he started lecturing at various Universities, most notably the Free University of Berlin
Free University of Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin is one of the leading and most prestigious research universities in Germany and continental Europe. It distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. It is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on the...
.
In 2003 he died of cancer in Paris at the age of 75. According to his will, his body was cremated and his ashes were thrown in a sewer by his life-long partner Mary Koukoule. This scene was captured on film in the 2004 documentary "Elias Petropoulos: A world underground" ("Ηλίας Πετρόπουλος: Ένας κόσμος υπόγειος"), directed by Kalliopi Legaki. The documentary, that contains the last interview given by Petropoulos and an overview of his life and work, was given the Award of the International Federation of Film Fritics (FIPRESCI
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
) in the 2005 Thessaloniki Film Festival.
Published works
Petropoulos was the author of a large number of books, most of which have not been translated into English and many of which are out of print. The following select bibliography attempts to list all of his books in English or French, and the major works in Greek.Books by Elias Petropoulos:
- Καλιαρντά 2nd. ed, Athens, Kedros, 1971.
- A macabre song: testimony of the goy Elias Petropoulos concerning anti-Jewish sentiments in Greece. With a postscriptum by Pierre Vidal-Naquet, texts translated from the Greek and from the French by John Taylor. Paris : [s.n.], 1985 (Paris : Atelier Mérat)
- Old Salonica. Athens, Kedros, 1980.
- Rebetika : songs from the Old Greek Underworld translated by John Taylor, illustrated by Alekos Fassianos. London, Alcyon Art Editions, 1992. ISBN 1874455015
- Ρεμπέτικα τραγούδια. 2nd ed., Athens, Kedros, 1983.
- Songs of the Greek Underworld: The Rebetika Tradition. Trans. with introduction and add. text by Ed Emery. London, Saqui Books, 2000.