{"id":3134,"date":"2017-07-15T20:36:37","date_gmt":"2017-07-15T17:36:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/?page_id=3134"},"modified":"2017-07-20T14:02:22","modified_gmt":"2017-07-20T11:02:22","slug":"the-homer-of-neo-hellenic-literature","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/the-homer-of-neo-hellenic-literature\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cTHE HOMER OF NEO-HELLENIC LITERATURE\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

9th issue In-On<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Vitsedzos Kornaros <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

386 years have passed by since the death of the great poet from Setea whose scientific acknowledgment and popular appeal of his work is still immense. In \u201cErotokritos\u201d traditional plot is\u00a0\u00a0 elaborately processed. The transfigurations of God in the work of Kornaros illustrate variety and originality. Today, his work is internationally acknowledged as one of the greatest creations of European Renaissance published in numerous editions. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe poet of \u201cErotokritos\u201d and main expresser of Cretan Renaissance Vitsedzos Kornaros is well-known as the \u201cHomer of neo-Hellenic Literature\u201d. He was born and wrote the best-known work of the Neo-Hellenic Literature in Setea region in Crete. \u2018\u2018Erotokritos\u2019\u2019 is acknowledged as a classical work and as the most beautiful lyrical narrative poem written in the neo-Hellenic language\u201d. The above were underlined during an International Scientific Conference about the great Setean poet, Vitsedzos Kornaros, entitled \u201cThe world of Erotokritos and Erotokritos in the world\u201d held in the prefecture of Setea.
\nRegarding its dating, Vitsedzos Kornaros gave the poem its first form before 1590 when he still lived in Setea and later in Chandakas after 1595 or after 1600 he processed it adding the conclusion.
\nAs a source of part of the plot of \u201cErotokritos\u201d a very famous romance entitled \u201cParis and Vienna\u201d about knighthood at the end of medieval times was used by Kornaros. The specific romance was available in Italy in the 16th century in numerous manuscripts. \u201cErotokritos\u201d was highly influenced by the great epic poet \u201c\u039frlando Furioso\u201d by Ariosto.
\n\u201cErotokritos\u201d was initially available in manuscripts, which are lost, though, except one (1710). It was printed for the first time in Venice, in 1713 in the printing-house of Antony Vortoli a century later than the probable date of its writing\u00a0 and then was printed innumerable times. It was read eagerly and was loved as no other piece of work in Greece, as it is confirmed by Seferis as well who remembers its wide spread\u00a0 during his childhood. And as Kaesarios Dapontes refers \u2013 not without some trace of jealousy- in 1766 people used to keep \u2018\u2018Erotokritos\u2019\u2019 under their pillows\u201d.
\nIn \u201cErotokritos\u201d Cupid is presented as a powerful force armed with a bow and arrows, a sword or fire, winged and naked \u201cwhen desire wants and wishes to win, neither knowledge nor strength can fight back\u201d.
\nThe illustration of cupid is accompanied by a number of metaphors that depict love feelings. The issue of the omnipotence of love constitutes a theme widely spread in Ancient Greek Literature. The deviousness of cupid also constitutes a stereotype. In \u201cErotokritos\u201d traditional plot is\u00a0\u00a0 elaborately\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 processed. The transfigurations of God in the work of Kornaros illustrate variety and originality. One of the most distinctive metaphors that describe the constant increase of the feelings of love is depicted in the picture of a tree rooted in the heart. It is interesting to notice the correspondence of the name Erotokritos or Rotokritos to the adjective \u201cerotoakatakritos\u201d which means a person that has not yet been decided, has not been tortured by love. \u201cErotokritos\u201d constitutes a unique work of Cretan Literature that belongs to the kind of romance. The substantial acknowledgment of \u201cErotokritos\u201d from the point of the scholars comes from the poets themselves. The first, most creative vindication of \u201cErotokritos\u201d appears in the work of Dionysius Solomos. This Cretan piece of work teaches and nourishes the Eptanisian poetry after the settling down of the Cretan refuges in 1669. It has to be noted that the first independent text written for Erotokritos is a lecture by Tertsetis.
\nThrough history, there is an interaction between the old text and modern poets such as Solomos, Sikelianos and Seferis. Palamas flashed with anger in 1906, asking at long last \u00aba decent edition\u00bb for \u201cErotokritos\u201d.
\nThe first scientific publication was realized in Herakleion by Stefanos Xanthoudidis in 1915. In 1980, the wise Cretan edition of \u201cStilianos Alexiou, a freeman of our prefecture\u201d restored the text to its first form, bringing it close to the original. This edition constitutes a landmark in the Erotokriteian studies.
\nThe almost ten thousand lyrics of \u201cErotokritos\u201d were not written to be acted\u2013 even though Erotokritos had a great appeal on stage \u2013 but to be read. Mainly in Crete, as well as in Eptanisa, a lot of people knew how to recite \u201cErotokritos\u201d.
\nToday, his work is internationally acknowledged as one of the greatest creations of European Renaissance published in numerous editions.
\nSetea in the years of Kornaros
\nAfter the settling of the Venetians in Crete (1211) and the administrative organization of the island according to the model of Venice in six exarchates, Setea was a part of the exarchate of Agioi Apostoloi.\u00a0 In the beginning of the 14th century, the administrative division of Crete was changed and the island was separated into four districts (Chandakas, Chania, Rethymnon, Setea). Therefore, Setea became an independent district, the capital being the city of Setea having a separate public treasury depended, however, to a great extent on Chandakas.
\nWell-known Venetian families related to Setea are the Corner family, member of which is Vitsedzos Kornaros, the Demezzo family who built the villa in Etia and the Balbi, Benedetti and Querini families.
\nIn the widely-known \u201cDescription of Crete\u201d by Peter Kastrofylakas in 1583, the district of Setea is referred to have 22.312 inhabitants, while the capital itself had 1391 citizens. There were, also, 12 monasteries and two catholic nunneries. Apart from Vitsedzos Kornaros, Setea is proud of several scholars. Among these Andreas Kornaros is placed, Vitsedzos\u2019 brother as well as brothers Gabriel and Meletios Pantogalos, both being distinguished clergymen. Gabriel was the abbot of Toblou monastery, while Meletios reached the post of the bishop of Ephesus. Another scholar was Andreas Pertzivalis. In Setea, around 1525 the teacher Georgios Kalyvas was activated, as well. Various epidemic diseases and the earthquake of 1508 struck Setea. The former were added to pirate raids and organized Turkish attacks that resulted in the reduction of the population. In 1538, during the third venetian-Turkish war, the Turkish fleet governed by Chiderin Barbarossa, burnt down Setea, destroyed and sacked Piskokefalo, Berati, Maronia and Trapezoda villages, slaughtered and enslaved many Cretan families.\u00a0 The final destruction of Setea was realized in the years of the Turkish war. In the end of 1647, the city was demolished. Attempts on behalf of the Venetians to take the city back failed.<\/p>\n

CURRICULUM VITAE
\n<\/strong>Vitsedzos was the younger son of Jacob Kornaros. He was born on 26th March 1553, in the village of Trapezonta in Setea, a land that was regarded his family\u2019s feud and was baptized in the summer of the same year. He lived in the region of Setea, mainly in the villages Trapezonta and Piskokefalo until 1587-1590, meaning about thirty-five years of his life \u201cspending his life as a feudal property owner, in a world of many servants and bondsmen, all of whom believed in Greek-Orthodox church\u201d.
\nA little before 1590, he settled down in Chandakas near his brother Andreas who was the founder of the Academy of Stravaganti, a scholars association which showed considerable literary activity in the years of the peak of Cretan Literature. There, he got married to Marietta Zeno, and actively participated in the public life of Chandakas, while during the terrible plague of the years 1591-1593, he took over as a supervisor of health for the Chandakas region.\u00a0 Financial documents and wills published by Giannis Mavromatis show that the Kornaros family used the Greek language fluently. After his permanent settling in Chandakas ,Vitsedzos regularly visits his homeland in Setea until his death. Indeed, for a long time from the end of 1598 until the end of 1600, he mainly lives in the region of Setea, where he still kept considerable fortune. He died in Chandakas later than 12th August 1613 and before 24th April 1614 and was buried in St. Francis monastery. His parents Jacob Kornaros and Zabeta (Elizabeth) daughter of Ioannis Demezzo of Markos whose matrimonial contract was constructed in Sfaka in Setea in 1542, were buried in St. Ekaterina the Frank monastery in Xoporto in the suburb of Setea.<\/p>\n

Back in the 9th edition In-On<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

9th issue In-On Vitsedzos Kornaros 386 years have passed by since the death of the great poet from Setea whose scientific acknowledgment and popular appeal of his work is still immense. In \u201cErotokritos\u201d traditional plot is\u00a0\u00a0 elaborately processed. The transfigurations of God in the work of Kornaros illustrate variety and originality. Today, his work is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3097,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3134","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3134"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3409,"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3134\/revisions\/3409"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-inon.gr\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}