Download Introduction to Myrivilis

Introduction to Myrivilis
Balkan Wars and World War One
Myrivilis
• Born on the island of
Lesbos in 1892
• His first novel was
dealing with an
earthquake that hit
Mytilene
• In 1912 he abandoned
University to join the
army as a volunteer.
A village on Lesbos
The Works of Myrivilis
• Life in the Tomb (an anti-war novel that caused
much stir).
• His other works are more mainstream
The teacher with the golden eyes
• Vasilis Arvanitis
• The Blue Book (a collection of short stories)
• Founder of the Modern Greek Authors Association
• A librarian, journalist, and free-lance writer
• A member of the Academy of Athens.
• His language is artful, skillful and vivid.
The Great Idea
(Megale Idea)
• In the 19th century large
sections of Greek
populations live outside
the borders of the Greek
State.
• The desire to incorporate
these populations and
expand the State to
include many ancestral
lands drives Greek Politics
The Balkan Wars
• In 1912 the Greek
State declares war on
the Ottoman Empire.
• The Greeks, along
with other Balkan
nations, push the
Turks almost totally
out of Europe and
Greece doubles in size
The successive expansions of the
Modern Greek State
The Balkan wars were viewed as
an epic achievement:
They spark intense patriotic
sentiment
The sacrifice is viewed as the
route towards the Great Idea
Heroic Times
• The Greek Troops
who enter Northern
Greece are seen as
liberators, and their
achievement
comparable to that of
greater achievements
in the long history of
the nation.
The greatest moment is when the
Greek army enters Thessalonike
The other side of the story
• Life in the Tomb
offended many and
shocked many more
because it told the
other side of the story:
it removes the
glamour and glory
from war, by
describing its horror
and dehumanization.
The Trenches
• WWI is often called
‘The War of the
Trenches’.
• In Western Europe a
stalemate of 4 years in
horrific conditions
cost 30 million lives.
The Conclusion
• The war came to an end in
1918.
• The Austo-Hungarian
Empire was defeated and
shrank considerably.
• The Ottoman empire was
dissolved to its
components.
• Germany had to accept an
uneasy defeat, followed by
a financial crisis, which
made ground for Nazi
propaganda in later years.
In the East
• The remains of the
Ottoman army were reorganized under Kemal
Ataturk, fight back the
Greek army, and create the
modern Turkish state.
• The Hellenism of Asia
Minor is uprooted, along
with Turkish presence in
most of Europe.
The Mood
• The 1920’s and 30’s are
depressed years :
• The bitterness for the
uprooting of Asiatic
Hellenism
• The World-Wide financial
crisis
• The disillusionment with
the Great Idea, and the
dreams for a greater
Greece
Life in the Tomb
• The novel captures the horrors of WWI
• It reflects the disillusionment of the times and
poses some critical questions regarding the Great
Idea, patriotism, and sacrifice for one’s country.
• The novel is a celebration of life, and the message
is that life is precious. The question is whether
anyone, including the state, has the moral
authority to infringe upon this fundamental right.