135-145

Κ Krystallis and the Democratic Tradition : A Re-appraisal

• Χατζητάκη-Καψωμένου, Χρυσούλα

The present essay attempts to reassess Kostas Krystallis' work from the point of view of folklore and anthropology by taking into account two main features, his intense nature worship and his historico-ethnographic as well as folkloristic commitment, which place him apart from the demotic tradition. As is argued on anthropological grounds, in folk poetry nature is not an object of admiration and worship. Consequently, Krystallis is neither a genuine folk poet, as argued by his admirers, nor an inept imitator of folk poetry, as maintained by his opponents; he is rather a scholar, whose poetic inspiration is greatly influenced by the romantic movement of the 19th century, as regards man's attitude toward nature and traditional culture. This is why he also became an «ethnographer» who conscientiously chose to record the customs of country people, especially the people of Epirus, his homeland.

• Languages and Literature

• Λογοτεχνία

Το άρθρο αυτό βασίζεται σε ανακοίνωση μου στο συνέδριο που οργάνωσε τον Ιούνιο του 1993 στην Πρέβεζα ο Τομέας Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών του Πανεπιστημίου Ιωαννίνων σε συνεργασία με τον Δήμο Πρεβέζης και τον Σύνδεσμο Συρρακιωτών Πρέβεζας με την ευκαιρία της συμπλήρωσης εκατό χρόνων από τον θάνατο του Κ. Κρυστάλλη. (Τό παραπάνω κείμενο είχε ήδη παραδοθεί προς δημοσίευση στα Ελληνικά, όταν κυκλοφόρησε το αφιέρωμα στον Κρυστάλλη του περιοδικού Διαβάζω.)