Kostas Varnalis
Encyclopedia
Kostas Varnalis was a Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

.

Life

Varnalis was born in Burgas
Burgas
-History:During the rule of the Ancient Romans, near Burgas, Debeltum was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. In the Middle Ages, a small fortress called Pyrgos was erected where Burgas is today and was most probably used as a watchtower...

, Bulgaria
Principality of Bulgaria
The Principality of Bulgaria was a self-governing entity created as a vassal of the Ottoman Empire by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. The preliminary treaty of San Stefano between the Russian Empire and the Porte , on March 3, had originally proposed a significantly larger Bulgarian territory: its...

, in 1884. As his name suggests, his family originated from Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...

. He completed his elementary studies in the Zariphios
Zariphios School
The Zariphios School was a Greek educational institution established in 1875 in Plovdiv , then in the Ottoman Empire and now in Bulgaria. It became one of the most significant Greek educational centres in the region of Thrace, attracting teachers from Greece and Western Europe and existed until 1906...

 Greek high school in Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...

 and then moved to Athens to study literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...

 at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , usually referred to simply as the University of Athens, is the oldest university in Southeast Europe and has been in continuous operation since its establishment in 1837. Today, it is the second-largest institution of higher learning in Greece,...

. While there, he became involved in the language dispute, taking the side of the demoticists
Dimotiki
Demotic Greek or dimotiki is the modern vernacular form of the Greek language. The term has been in use since 1818. Demotic refers particularly to the form of the language that evolved naturally from ancient Greek, in opposition to the artificially archaic Katharevousa, which was the official...

 over the supportres of the katharevousa
Katharevousa
Katharevousa , is a form of the Greek language conceived in the early 19th century as a compromise between Ancient Greek and the Modern Greek of the time, with a vocabulary largely based on ancient forms, but a much-simplified grammar. Originally, it was widely used both for literary and official...

. After his graduation in 1908 he worked for some time as a teacher in Burgas, before returning to Greece and teaching in Amaliada
Amaliada
Amaliada is a town and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Ilida, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It has 32,090 citizens...

 and 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...

. During the next years, he worked as a teacher and part-time journalist, also engaging in translation work. In 1913, he took part in the Second Balkan War
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 29 June 1913. Bulgaria had a prewar agreement about the division of region of Macedonia...

.

In 1919 he gained a scholarship and travelled to 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 studied philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

, literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...

 and sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...

. It was during his Parisian studies that he became a Marxist and reviewed his ideas on poetry in theory and in practice. His political alignment resulted in his being barred dismissed from his teaching position at the Paedagocical Academny in 1926, and to be barred from any state employment. Varnalis thus took to journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...

, a profession he practised until the end of his life. In 1929, he married the poetess Dora Moatsou. In 1935, he participated in the Soviet Writers' Conference in Moscow as Greece's representative. Under the 4th of August Regime
4th of August Regime
The 4th of August Regime , commonly also known as the Metaxas Regime , was an authoritarian regime under the leadership of General Ioannis Metaxas that ruled Greece from 1936 to 1941...

, he was sent to internal exile
Internal Exile
Internal Exile was Fish's second solo album after leaving Marillion in 1988. The album, released 28 October 1991, was inspired by the singer's past, his own personal problems and his troubled experiences with his previous record label EMI.The album's music reflects Fish's indulgence in the vast...

 in Mytilene
Mytilene
Mytilene is a town and a former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lesbos, of which it is a municipal unit. It is the capital of the island of Lesbos. Mytilene, whose name is pre-Greek, is built on the...

 and Agios Efstratios
Agios Efstratios
Agios Efstratios or Saint Eustratius is a small Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea about 30 km southwest of Lemnos and 80 km northwest of Lesbos...

. During the German Occcupation of Greece, he took part in the resistance movement as a member of the National Liberation Front (EAM). In 1959, he was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize
Lenin Peace Prize
The International Lenin Peace Prize was the Soviet Union's equivalent to the Nobel Peace Prize, named in honor of Vladimir Lenin. It was awarded by a panel appointed by the Soviet government, to notable individuals whom the panel indicated had "strengthened peace among peoples"...

. Varnalis died in Athens on 16 December 1974.

Writings

Varnalis published his first poetic work at the Greek-language Plovdiv newspaper News of Aimos, under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...

 Figefs (Greek: Φηγεύς). His first appearance in Greece was in the magazine Noumas (Greek: Νουμάς) under his real name.

Poetry

  • Kirithres (Greek: Κηρήθρες, "Honeycombs"), Varnalis' first collection, Athens 1905.
  • O Proskynitis (Greek: Ο Προσκυνητής, "The Pilgrim"), 1919.
  • To fos pou kaiei (Greek: Το φως που καίει, "The burning light"), Alexandria
    Alexandria
    Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...

     1922, under the pen-name Dimos Tanalias.
  • Sklavoi poliorkimenoi (Greek: Σκλάβοι πολιορκημένοι, "Besieged Slaves"), 1927.
  • Poiitika (Greek: Ποιητικά, "Poetic Works"), collection, 1956.
  • Eleftheros Kosmos (Greek: Ελεύθερος Κόσμος, "Free World"), collection, 1965.
  • Orgi laou (Greek: Οργή λαού, "The Wrath of the People"), collection, published posthumously in 1975.

Prose and Literary criticism

  • O laos ton mounouchon (Greek: Ο λαός των μουνούχων, "The eunuch people"), 1923, under the pen-name Dimos Tanalias.
  • O Solomos horis metafysiki (Greek: Ο Σολωμός χωρίς μεταφυσική, "Solomos
    Dionysios Solomos
    Dionysios Solomos was a Greek poet from Zakynthos. He is best known for writing the Hymn to Liberty , of which the first two stanzas, set to music by Nikolaos Mantzaros, became the Greek national anthem in 1865...

     without metaphysics"), 1925.
  • H alithini apologia tou Sokrati (Greek: Η Αληθινή απολογία του Σωκράτη, "The True Apology
    Apology (Plato)
    The Apology of Socrates is Plato's version of the speech given by Socrates as he unsuccessfully defended himself in 399 BC against the charges of "corrupting the young, and by not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in other daimonia that are novel"...

     of Socrates
    Socrates
    Socrates was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary ...

    ", 1931.
  • Alithinoi anthropoi (Greek: Αληθινοί άνθρωποι, "Real People"), 1938.
  • To imerologio tis Pinelopis (Greek: Το ημερολόγιο της Πηνελόπης, "The diary of Penelope
    Penelope
    In Homer's Odyssey, Penelope is the faithful wife of Odysseus, who keeps her suitors at bay in his long absence and is eventually reunited with him....

    "), 1947.
  • Pezos logos (Greek: Πεζός λόγος, "Prose"), 1957.
  • Solomika (Greek: Σολωμικά, "On Solomos"), 1957.
  • Aisthitika Kritika A kai B (Greek: Αισθητικά Κριτικά Α και Β, "Aesthetic Critical Works A and B"), 1958.
  • Anthropoi. Zontanoi - Alithinoi (Greek: Άνθρωποι. Ζωντανοί - Αληθινοί, "Humans. Alive - Real"), 1958.
  • Oi diktatores (Greek: Οι δικτάτορες, "The Dictators"), 1965.
  • Filologika Apomnimonevmata (Greek: Φιλολογικά Απομνημονεύματα, "Philological Memories"), 1980.

Theatrical

  • Attalos o Tritos (Greek: Άτταλος ο Τρίτος, "Attalos the Third
    Attalus III
    Attalus III Philometor Euergetes was the last Attalid king of Pergamon, ruling from 138 BC to 133 BC....

    "), 1972.

Writing Style

His work is written in the demotic and has well taken care of form and plasticity in the expression.It is characterized by hot lyric imagination and satirical disposal with interest for the modern person. His poetry, particularly, is characterized from intense “[dionysiasmo]”, playful disposal and deep musical feeling that is combined excellently with the satyr, while is considered one of the mainer left wingers workers of language in Greece.Varnalis maintained his poetic but also human vigilance up to deep age. An example of his writing style is here from the poem ΟΙ ΜΟΙΡΑΙΟΙ.

Μες την υπόγεια την ταβέρνα,

μες σε καπνούς και σε βρισιές,

απάνου εστρίγγλιζε η λατέρνα

όλη η παρέα πίναμε ψές,

εψές, σαν όλα τα βραδάκια,

να πάνε κάτου τα φαρμάκια.


Ιn the underground tavern,

amidst the fog, amidst insults and yelling,

while the street organ
Street organ
A street organ is a mechanical organ designed to play in the street. The operator of a street organ is called an organ grinder. The two main types are the smaller German street organ and the larger Dutch street organ....

was still screaming,

me and my friends were drinking yesterday,

yesterday, just like every other day,

struggling to accept our bitter fate.
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