Renos Apostolidis’ critique of Post-War Greece

: a life in letters (1945– 1965)

Abstract

Renos Apostolidis (1924–2004), was both a versatile and a highly controversial figure within the sphere of Greek letters and indeed public life. This thesis sets out to explore Renos’ contribution to Greek letters, the reception of his work, and its sociopolitical dimension over a key twentyyear period from the end of the Occupation to the turbulence of 1964. The particular focus is on Renos’ relentless nonconformism and his critique—from an idiosyncratic standpoint—of postwar Greek life and letters. My reconstruction of Renos’ life as a writer and controversialist draws extensively on his 132-volume, unpublished Archive, which became accessible by courtesy of Renos’ family. Through an in-depth chronological narration and careful selection from the abundance of material, I hope to shed light on the writer's most crucial personal experiences and works. By focusing mainly on the exercise of critique, which permeates Renos’ writing career and which erupted into direct action with his invasion of Parliament in 1964, the thesis as a whole outlines both the life of Renos and the portrayal of post-war life in general as expressed through his work and his distinctive Archive. This embraces discussion of how the writer's personal and social struggles are given a fictional form in his mature work and prompts an assessment of the importance of this dissenting voice of critique during its time but also as a guide to the complexities of the Greek world today.

Date of Award	1 Jul 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	King's College London
Supervisor	Gonda Van Steen (Supervisor)