State Prizes for Literature 2017 MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND SPORTS Ministry of Culture and Sports State Prize for Literature Committee he State Prizes for Literature constitute a diachronic and developing President: Mariliza Mitsou tradition, but also a bond between the sphere of books and the General Directorate of Contemporary Culture Vice President: Mary Leontsini T Director: Marios Kostakis Members: State. They are not simply state rewards for writers, but a celebration Michalis Chryssanthopoulos for the entire community related to books. Directorate of Letters, Books and Reading Policy Klairi Mitsotaki Director: Sissy Papathanassiou Kallia Papadaki This year, the state prizes constituted the occasion for the creation Pavlina Pampoudi - Department of Literature and Book of a dialogue on issues relevant to the world of books. During the Elena Maroutsou Director: Giorgos Perrakis Anna Afentoulidou meetings that we held prior to the formal award ceremony, we had the - Department of Reading and Digital Content Kostas Karavidas opportunity to discuss around the subject of the relationship between Director: Haris Pappis - Committee Secretaries books and the reading public and to reflect on the future of such a State Prize for Literature Sofia Mara, Evgenia Balaska, Penny Kambosou in Translation Committee relationship. Furthermore, to discuss the meaning of state prizes and President: Jacques Bouchard their institutional evolution. What role are literature writers, translators, Vice President: Pavlos Kalligas publishers and critics called upon to play in the areas of ideas, the Members: Anna Karakatsouli Social Sciences and the Humanities? What is the relationship between Moschos Morfakidis-Phylaktos Dionysis Marinos children and young-age people with books and reading? What is the Giannis Kalifatidis relationship between books and the digital world? It was an opportunity Giannis Tsolkas for us to think with primary emphasis on the reading public, not only as Victor Ivanovich it stands in the present, but also on that which is absent, that which has P UBLICATION CONTRIBUTORS Giorgos Tsaknias no access to books or who feels that books are not its concern, as well Coordination State Prize for Children’s as to search for the reasons for this critical absence. Sissy Papathanassiou Book Committee Contents editors President: Anastasia Economidou Books, reading, culture, the access to knowledge and libraries is a Giorgos Perrakis, Maria Rousaki Vice President: Melpomeni Kanatsouli right which ought to be enjoyed by all. The state has the responsibility Members: Angeliki Giannikopoulou Design and Artistic Supervision Tasoula Tsilmeni to plan policies related to the political economy of meanings and to Vasso Avramopoulou Sofia Mantouvalou create the necessary conditions for the formation of new identities, free Pagination Tzouliano Kanglis development of the imagination, democratic awareness and critical Xenia Chatziangeli Iris Samartzi Katerina Dermata thought. Such a sphere is the symbolic sphere of books. Translation Chryssa Kouraki Manolis Polentas The state prizes are an occasion for us to express our gratitude and to Proofreader reward those writers who lead, to stand by them and support them. The Vassiliki Schiza Ministry of Culture and Sports, taking into consideration the trends in the Printing area of production, the dissemination and the cultural practices related Photolio Graphic Arts, Inc. to books, works steadily towards the establishment of the Organization Production of Books and Culture. We believe that this new organization will offer Α4 Art Design new perspectives and will soon acquire special scope and will be received with enthusiasm by the reading public. → MYRSINI ZORBA All texts of the Note of Critical Committee are abbreviated as (N.C.C.). Minister of Culture and Sports © 2019 Ministry of Culture and Sports Dionysis Kapsalis Lydia Tricha Michalis Modinos Danae Sioziou Maria Kougioumtzi Ursula Foskolou Chloe Koutsoubelli Angeliki Sidira Stamatis Polenakis Evriviadis Sofos Pantelis Boukalas Electra Andreadi Vayos Liapis Miguel Castillo Didier Kostas Haralas Alexandra Mitsiali Achilleas Razis Argyro Pipini Elsa Mirogianni Odos Panos Magazine Farmako [FRMK] Magazine State for Prizes Literature 2017 → Grand Prize for Letters Dionysis Kapsalis he search for lyricism, in Greek and in international poetry, the terms of its formation and its re- T flective pinpoints is Dionysis Kapsalis’ axis for his continuous, dense and multi-dimensional poetic production. His essays focus on the relationship which takes shape, through writing, between life and literature. Finally, lyricism and reflection characterize his poetry translations as well, mainly in his labo- rious efforts in translating the work of William Shakespeare. For the bulk of this work, the Committee honours him with the Grand Prize for Letters. (N.C.C.) Dionysis Kapsalis was born in Athens, by Kobayashi Issa, Matsuo Basho and Tsalachouris, which was staged at the in 1952. From 1970 to 1974 he others). He has been for many years Megaron Mousikis in March, 2015. studied Classical and English Literature permanent collaborator of the periodical He has worked in close collaboration at Georgetown University in the US. In O Politis. He has also collaborated with composer Nikos Xydakis, having 1981 he enrolled as a post-graduate regularly with the daily Athens based written, among others of the latter’s student in the Department of Byzantine newspaper, I Avgi, where from November works, the lyrics for his Women’s Laments, and Modern Greek Literature at King’s 1996 to November 1999 he wrote a Sophocle’s Heroines, staged in 2006 College of the University of London, weekly column, “Ston Kairo”, and with at the ancient theatre Small Epidavros where he studied Modern Greek and the Athens based daily, I Kathimerini, within the framework of the Athens Comparative Literature until 1984. He where he has published articles and book Festival, as well as the work Rue Lepsius, taught Greek Language and Literature criticism. A Musical Portrait of C.P. Cavafy, which in the same Department for two years For the theatre, he has translated Samuel was presented in 2008 at the “Scholeion” (1982-1984) as a postgraduate fellow Beckett’s Happy Days, and William on Piraeus Blvd within the framework of (with a studentship from the University of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (Kappa the Athens Festival. Some of his poems London). From 1984 to 1987 he taught Theatre, 1995), King Lear (Theatro have been set to music by other Greek Greek Literature (A level) and English Technis 1999, Northern Greece State composers and ensembles (Dimitris Literature (A level) in the GCE Department Theatre 2008), Othello (Neos Kosmos Papadimitriou, Giorgos Christianakis, of the Moraitis School in Athens. From Theatre, Athens Festival 2006), Pericles Diafana Krina, and others). 1986 to 1997 he worked as publications (National Theatre 2011), A Midsummer He is a member of the Supervising editor for Hestia Publishers and Night’s Dream (National Theatre 2012), Committee of the National Library of booksellers where, among other things, he Hamlet (Stegi Grammaton kai Technon Greece and of the Scientific Committee directed the series of theoretical studies 2015), A Comedy of Errors (Katerina of the Greek Parliament Foundation for “trivium”, the Logou Charin (Λόγου Χάριν) Evangelatos’ Theatre Stage, 2018). Parliamentarism and Democracy. Literary Periodical and the “Greek Poetry” He has adapted Dostoyevski’s Brothers In 1999 he was awarded the Ouranis series. From 1988 he has been working Karamazov for the theatre (Theatro Prize of the Academy of Athens for his for the National Bank of Greece Cultural Technis, April 2015). contribution to poetry. In March 2015 Foundation where he is Director from His work, Portrait, A Poem for three he was proclaimed Honorary Doctor in November 1999. From 2006 he has Voices, was staged in September, 1997 the Philosophy School of the Aristotle been teaching the class of Literature at the in the framework of the Thessaloniki University of Thessaloniki. He has also Drama School of the National Theatre of Cultural Capital Festival and, thereafter, been awarded with the State Prize for Greece. at the Theatro Technis Karolos Koun in Literary Translation for his translation of From 1978 he has published twenty Athens, under the direction of Kyriakos William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (2015). volumes of poetry, nine volumes of essays Katzourakis. and translations of poetry (Shakespeare’s He has written the libretto for the opera sonnets, poems of Emily Dickinson, haiku Julius Caesar by composer Philippos STATE PRIZES FOR LITERATURE 2017 7 → Grand Prize for Letters → Dionysis Kapsalis Of all works of Literature written unexpectedly THE BLACK IRON GATE throughout time about the Holocaust (almost all To Giorgos Agouridis Literature written about the Holocaust was written You could find them everywhere those days where the invisible gunmen unexpectedly), King Lear may create enough space these black iron gates. Some tall and imposing held their guns, I would stop, in our thought to help us think of a world after the possibility of reminding of palaces and others one leg still on the other side, mounted forgiveness, that is to say, a world in which something morally simple reaching no higher than a child’s on the gate, the spears pointing to the starry sky, irreversible and totally irrevocable has been established. “As long height: whether closed so that I might for a moment enjoy my triumph, or half-open, they resembled only the limit I had just gone over, the fear, as (and if) I am human”, says Lear in the scene of recognition, the character of their owner, if he was the danger I had once again conquered. “I think that this lady is my daughter”. If we allow ourselves to welcoming, bad-tempered or negligent; It was summer, the sea breeze meddle somewhat with the simplicity of this phrase, we might see in any case you only needed to reach reaching from Phaleron awakening the breath that it makes for a dense and deep in its premises moral syllo- the other side and unlock them of gardens and the scent of night: or even jump over them.