Earlier Modern Greek Literary Texts

Project Directors:

[2009-2017] Arnold F. van Gemert,  Professor Emeritus at the University of Amsterdam
&
[2009-] George Kechagioglou, Professor Emeritus at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Research team:
Dr. Angeliki Loudi, Researcher

The project involves a new series of publications, based on an idea that Arnold F. Van Gemert, Professor Emeritus at the University of Amsterdam, had. Its implementation began at the end of 2009 with the publication of a small introductory book entitled From the Late Middle Ages to the 18th century. An introduction to Early Modern Greek literary texts. The book was written by George Kechagioglou, Professor Emeritus at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

The project is directed by A. van Gemert and G. Kechagioglou, who are assisted in their work by Dr. Aggeliki Loudi. Artistic, typographic and other practical assistance is provided by George M. Parassoglou, Professor Emeritus at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and George Papanastassiou, Associate Professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

As a first step, the research team plans to republish, or publish for the first time, small and medium-size, mostly folk literary works of the period from the Late Middle Ages (around 12th century onward) to the third quarter of the 18th century (i.e., up until the speeding up in production of works of the so-called Modern Greek Enlightenment). The books are easy to use, they are of the same size (though, of course, their volume/page number varies) and contain the following: an introduction in a few, brief chapters (whose order in each book is not fixed); the text or texts of each work (usually accompanied by its translation); very few interpretative, cultural and philological comments on the text; a small, selective number of references (for potential further study by whoever wishes to do so); and finally, at times, an appendix with supplementary, usually similar, texts. The books do not include a glossary, nor a table of names or indexes etc., but an attempt is made to provide illustrations for the texts.

Whether this publishing acquaintance and familiarization with these works will, at the same time, lead to the enjoyment of these texts and to the formation of a closer bond with the works of Modern Greek literature in its totality does not depend exclusively on the publishers-editors of the books in the series, or its directors at the Institute of Modern Greek Studies, which implements the terms and desires of its founder, Manolis Triandaphyllidis, a tireless researcher and admirer of Modern Greek language and literature. In fact, it also depends on educational policy regulators, teachers, and, above all, the readers of literary works themselves, namely, the pupils, students and the wider public.

Besides the introductory volume by G. Kechagioglou, the following books have already been published in the Earlier Modern Greek Literary Texts series:

A. van Gemert (ed.), Η κακοπαντρεμένη (Ρίμα για τον γέρο και το κορίτσι) [The Happlesly Married Girl (a rhyme about the old man and the girl)], 2010 [EMGLT 1]

C. Luciani (ed.), Ο Κάτης και ο μποντικός [The Cat and the Mice], 2011 [EMGLT 2]

G. Kechagioglou (ed.), Πτωχολέων [Ptocholeon], 2011 [EMGLT 3]

E. Kriaras (ed.), Ανακάλημα της Κωνσταντινόπολης [A Lament for Constantinople], 2012 [EMGLT 4]

S. Stavrakopoulou (ed.), Ο έπαινος των γυναικών [The Praise of Women], 2013 [EMGLT 5]

A. van Gemert & W. Bakker (eds), Μαρίνος Φαλιέρος, Λόγοι διδακτικοί του πατρός προς τον υιόν [Marinos Falieros, Admonitions of a Father to his Son], 2014 [EMGLT 6]

T. Markomichelaki (ed.), Μανόλης Σκλάβος, Της Κρήτης ο χαλασμός [Manolis Sklavos, The Destruction of Crete], 2014 [EMGLT 7]

G. St. Henrich (ed.), Μανόλης Λιμενίτης, Το θανατικόν της Ρόδου [Manolis Limenitis, The Plague of Rhodes], 2015 [EMGLT 8]

A. Vincent (ed.), H Βοσκοπούλα [The Shepherdess], 2016 [EMGLT 9]

V. Panagiotopoulou-Doulavera (ed.), Καταλόγια. Στίχοι περί έρωτος αγάπης [Lyrics. Verses on erotic love], 2017 [EMGLT 10]

S. Stavrakopoulou (ed.), Πανουργίαι υψηλόταται του Μπερτόλδου [The very subtle tricks of Bertoldo], 2018 [EMGLT 11]

C. Luciani (ed.), Πένθος θανάτου [Grieving for death], 2018 [EMGLT 12]

G. Kechagioglou (ed.), Ιμπέριος και Μαργαρόνα [Imperios and Margarona], 2020 [EMGLT 13]

G. Polemis (ed.), Καλλίμαχος και Χρυσορρόη [Kallimachos and Chrysorrhoe], 2021 [EMGLT 14]