Pandelis Prevelakis
Encyclopedia
Pandelis Prevelakis (1909 - 1986), was a Greek novelist, poet, dramatist and essayist - one of the leading Greek prose writers of the "1930s generation". Most of his works are set in Crete
.
, in Crete, on 18 February 1909. He studied philology in Paris and Thessalonice.
From about 1930 he was a friend and agent of the novelist and poet Nicos Kazantzakes, and eventually wrote a biography of him.
In 1938 he brought out what is probably his best-known work,The Tale of a Town or The Chronicle of a Town (Το χρονικό μιας Pολιτείας, 1937), a nostalgic depiction of Rethymno
from 1898-1924.
From 1939 to 1975 he was a professor of art history in the Academy of Arts, Athens. In 1939 he brought out a historical story, The Death of the Medici.
After World War II
appeared his Wretched Crete: a chronicle of the rising of 1866 (1945); which was followed by the trilogy, The Cretan (1948-1950) (revised edition 1965), which refers to events between 1866 and 1910 and introduces historical characters such as Venizelos. In 1959 he brought out The Sun of Death, in which a boy comes to terms with human mortality.
He also wrote four plays, all based on historical themes.
Prevelakes died in March 1986. His grave is in Rethymno, in a churchyard near the top of the hill on Kazantzakis Street. There is a statue of him in front of Rethymno's City Hall.
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
.
Biography
He was born in RethymnoRethymno
Rethymno is a city of approximately 40,000 people in Greece, the capital of Rethymno peripheral unit in the island of Crete. It was built in antiquity , even though was never a competitive Minoan centre...
, in Crete, on 18 February 1909. He studied philology in Paris and Thessalonice.
From about 1930 he was a friend and agent of the novelist and poet Nicos Kazantzakes, and eventually wrote a biography of him.
In 1938 he brought out what is probably his best-known work,The Tale of a Town or The Chronicle of a Town (Το χρονικό μιας Pολιτείας, 1937), a nostalgic depiction of Rethymno
Rethymno
Rethymno is a city of approximately 40,000 people in Greece, the capital of Rethymno peripheral unit in the island of Crete. It was built in antiquity , even though was never a competitive Minoan centre...
from 1898-1924.
From 1939 to 1975 he was a professor of art history in the Academy of Arts, Athens. In 1939 he brought out a historical story, The Death of the Medici.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
appeared his Wretched Crete: a chronicle of the rising of 1866 (1945); which was followed by the trilogy, The Cretan (1948-1950) (revised edition 1965), which refers to events between 1866 and 1910 and introduces historical characters such as Venizelos. In 1959 he brought out The Sun of Death, in which a boy comes to terms with human mortality.
He also wrote four plays, all based on historical themes.
Prevelakes died in March 1986. His grave is in Rethymno, in a churchyard near the top of the hill on Kazantzakis Street. There is a statue of him in front of Rethymno's City Hall.
Translations
- The Cretan, tr. A. Rick, P. Mackridge (1991)
- The Tale of a Town, tr. K. Johnstone (1976)