The text was written as a kind of short literary guide to the First Communal Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in Modern Athens. The reader is presented with basic facts about the cemetery’s history as well as given a glimpse of what the cemetery looks like since it is very much unlike Polish necropolises. As the First Cemetery is regarded as the largest outdoor collection of the 19th century Modern Greek sculptures, the article contains descriptions of the most famous tombs. Then the author comments on some of the most quoted epitaphs and then focuses on the work of the most famous poets and writers that rest at the First Cemetery. He focuses on how they approached the topic of passing and death. The guide to this exceptional place is the protagonist of the Christos Chomenidis’ story, i.e., a man who was brought back to life on the First Cemetery on the day of the Second Coming.
Patrick Leigh Fermor’s “Hellen-Romaic Dilemma”The article discusses one of the guises of the dichotomy between Hellene and Romios, a trope popular among researchers of modern Greek identity. It discusses the provenance and usage of both notions, drawing on the material presented by the English traveller and writer Patrick Leigh Fermor in his monograph Roumeli Travels in Northern Greece (1966). Fermor identified 64 opposing pairs of concepts and situations, and demonstrated the characteristics of Hellene and Romios in relation to each pair. This comparison produces the images of the logical, westernised Hellene, who reveres the accomplishments of ancient Greeks, and the spontaneous, oriental, somewhat backwards Romios, who longs for Byzantium. Although the picture Fermor paints is exaggerated (and slightly whimsical), it nevertheless helps to understand that the image of Hellene, and not that of Romios, is one in which modern Greeks believe and for which they strive.Patricka Leigh Fermora rozterki helleńsko-romejskieAutor omawia jedno z ujęć dychotomii między Hellenem a Romiosem, popularnej w badaniach nad nowogrecką tożsamością. Ukazuje proweniencję i sposób użycia obu pojęć, posługując się materiałem zaprezentowanym przez angielskiego pisarza i podróżnika, Patricka Leigh Fermora, w jego monografii Roumeli Travels in Northern Greece (wyd. 1966). Fermor wyróżnił 64 pary koncepcji i sytuacji, pokazując jak w obrębie każdej z nich funkcjonuje Hellen oraz Romios. Z porównania wyłania się obraz logicznego, zwesternizowanego Hellena, zapatrzonego w dokonania starożytnych Greków oraz spontanicznego, orientalnego, nieco zacofanego Romiosa, który tęskni za Bizancjum. Choć obraz naszkicowany przez Fermora jest przejaskrawiony (oraz nieco żartobliwy), to jednak pomaga zrozumieć, że to obraz Hellena, a nie Romiosa, jest tym, w który wierzą i do którego dążą współcześni Grecy.
Artykuł próbuje pokazać różne aspekty radzenia sobie współczesnych Greków z ich kulturowym i historycznym dziedzictwem: na ile Grecy współcześni czują się następcami Greków starożytnych i jak postrzegają swoje miejsce w kulturze współczesnej Europy. Kwestie poruszane w artykule są w dużej mierze pytaniami o nowogrecką tożsamość. Punktem wyjścia do rozważań jest Ironiczny słownik nowogrecki autorstwa Nikosa Dimu, który w 230 hasłach stara się zebrać komunały, jakie wyznają jego rodacy.
EN
The article seeks to present various ways the Modern Greeks try to deal with their cultural and historical heritage. To what extent do the Modern Greeks consider themselves the successors of the the ancient Greeks? How do they see and understand their place in culture of contemporary Europe? These questions lie at the foundations of the Modern Greek identity. The starting point for the discussion is the book by Nikos Dimou Modern Greek Ironic Dictionary. The author of the Dictionary... in 230 entries tries to sketch the most common platitudes that are shared by his compatriots.
The article points to several examples from contemporary Cypriot politics and culture that would expose a change in how Greek Cypriots think about themselves. It is suggested that they now regard themselves no longer merely as part of a greater Hellenic world, but rather as a particular minority, not (yet) ethnically diverse, that stays within its boundaries.