Elias Venezis
Encyclopedia
Elias Venezis is the pseudonym of Elias Mellos, a major Greek
novelist. He was born in 1904 in Ayvalık
(Κυδωνίες) in Asia Minor
and died in Athens
in 1973. He wrote many books, of which the most famous are Number 31328
and Aeolian Earth. He is considered to be one of the writers of "the Generation of the 30s".
after the Greek army took over Smyrna
and its hinterland in 1919. When the area was recaptured by the Turkish Army, Venezis was taken prisoner and enslaved in a “labour battalion”. He was 18 years old. The prisoners were marched into the interior, but few arrived at the destination, since most of them were either killed on the way, or died of the hardships they were exposed to. Of the 3000 "conscripted" into his “labour brigade” only 23 survived.
When Venezis was released he was returned to Lesbos. There he met Stratis Myrivilis
, who had founded the weekly newspaper Kambana, and was encouraged by him to write an account of "his horrific experiences as a hostage in Turkey" for the newspaper. The novel which resulted was published in serialised form in Kambana in 1924. However it did not become well known in Greece until an expanded version was published in book form in 1931.
His major novels are about his life in Asia Minor: Aeolian Earth describes the lost Eden of his childhood summers; Number 31328
the horrific experience of the death marches, and Tranquility his struggle to adjust to living in Greece.
In Greece, Venezis worked for a bank while writing in his spare time. He married Stavritsa Molyviati in 1938. She too was from Ayvali.
During the German occupation of Greece, Venezis was taken prisoner again. He was released following the intercession of high-ranking Greek officials including Archbishop Damaskinos
.
After the war, Venezis wrote a column in the newspaper Acropolis. He was made a member of the Academy of Athens
.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
novelist. He was born in 1904 in Ayvalık
Ayvalik
Ayvalık is a seaside town on the northwestern Aegean coast of Turkey. It is a district of the Balıkesir Province.It was alternatively called by the town's formerly indigenous Greek population, although the use of the name Ayvalık was widespread for centuries among both the Turks and the Greeks...
(Κυδωνίες) in Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
and died in Athens
Athens
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...
in 1973. He wrote many books, of which the most famous are Number 31328
Number 31328
Noumero 31328 is an autobiographical novel by Elias Venezis. It tells of his experiences as a captive of the Turkish Army on a death march into the Anatolian interior.- Background :...
and Aeolian Earth. He is considered to be one of the writers of "the Generation of the 30s".
Biography
Elias Venezis was born and raised in Ayvali, where he completed high school. During the Greek genocide, Venezis’ family fled from Ayvalı to Lesbos to avoid persecution but returned to Asia MinorAsia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
after the Greek army took over Smyrna
Smyrna
Smyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
and its hinterland in 1919. When the area was recaptured by the Turkish Army, Venezis was taken prisoner and enslaved in a “labour battalion”. He was 18 years old. The prisoners were marched into the interior, but few arrived at the destination, since most of them were either killed on the way, or died of the hardships they were exposed to. Of the 3000 "conscripted" into his “labour brigade” only 23 survived.
When Venezis was released he was returned to Lesbos. There he met Stratis Myrivilis
Stratis Myrivilis
Stratis Myrivilis , a major figure in the literary history of 20th Century Greece, is the pseudonym of Efstratios Stamatopoulos. He wrote mostly fiction: novels, novellas, and short stories.- Biography :...
, who had founded the weekly newspaper Kambana, and was encouraged by him to write an account of "his horrific experiences as a hostage in Turkey" for the newspaper. The novel which resulted was published in serialised form in Kambana in 1924. However it did not become well known in Greece until an expanded version was published in book form in 1931.
His major novels are about his life in Asia Minor: Aeolian Earth describes the lost Eden of his childhood summers; Number 31328
Number 31328
Noumero 31328 is an autobiographical novel by Elias Venezis. It tells of his experiences as a captive of the Turkish Army on a death march into the Anatolian interior.- Background :...
the horrific experience of the death marches, and Tranquility his struggle to adjust to living in Greece.
In Greece, Venezis worked for a bank while writing in his spare time. He married Stavritsa Molyviati in 1938. She too was from Ayvali.
During the German occupation of Greece, Venezis was taken prisoner again. He was released following the intercession of high-ranking Greek officials including Archbishop Damaskinos
Archbishop Damaskinos
Archbishop Damaskinos Papandreou was the archbishop of Athens and All Greece from 1941 until his death. He was also the regent of Greece between the pull-out of the German occupation force in 1944 and the return of King Georgios II to Greece in 1946...
.
After the war, Venezis wrote a column in the newspaper Acropolis. He was made a member of the Academy of Athens
Academy of Athens (modern)
The Academy of Athens is Greece's national academy, and the highest research establishment in the country. It was established in 1926, and operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Education...
.
Books by Elias Venezis
- Number 31328Number 31328Noumero 31328 is an autobiographical novel by Elias Venezis. It tells of his experiences as a captive of the Turkish Army on a death march into the Anatolian interior.- Background :...
(Το Νούμερο 31328, 1924; 1931) - Manolis Lekas and Other Stories (1928)
- Tranquility (Γαλήνη, 1939)
- Aeolian Earth (Αιολική Γη, 1943)
- Block C (play, 1945)
- Exodus (Έξοδος, 1950)
Books in English
- Elias Venezis by Alexander & Helen Karanikas (New York: Twayne Publishers, 1969)
- Block C by Elias Venezis (Athens: I.D. Kollarou, 1946)
- Aeolia by Elias Venezis, trans. E. D. Scott-Kilvert (London: William Campion, 1949; New York: Vanguard Press, 1957)
- Aiolian Land by Elias Venezis (Montréal: McGill University, 1979) in the series The McGill University Companions to Modern Greek Studies