Email this article Dalla generazione letteraria alla narrativa generazionale. La svolta materiale nella letteratura greca degli anni ‘80
Abstract
Critique recognized in the poetic generation of the 1980s a refusal of the collective myth, an introverted and egocentric spirit and a private indoors setting. With regards to the prose fiction of the same period, critics tend to deny the existence of an actual literary generation; however, they point out in young writers of this period a series of features they seem to share with the poets: a lack of collective goals, common visions and interest in the public sphere and in the community. This understanding forces upon the prose fiction a model created on the basis of poetry, that it’s not confirmed by the texts themselves: on the contrary, the debut novels of six of the authors that are usually included among the most representative of this trend (G.I. Bambasakes, A. Damianide, V. Raptopoulos, E. Sotiropoulos, P. Tatsopoulos, C. Vakalopoulos) reveal a perspective that is anything but individualist or narcissistic. Furthermore, they share common features that prove they belong to a specific transnational literary genre born in the 18th Century and called by Italian critics “narrativa generazionale” (generational prose fiction). The Greek generational fiction of the 1980s features the following specificities: 1) It’s a juvenile writing 2) which interest revolves around the identity of the protagonist and not around facts/stories. 3) Utterance-time and story-time overlap or are extremely close and 4) the protagonist is a group of youth 5) that self-identifies as the representative and bard of their generation. 6) At least one member of the group is an autobiographical character. 7) The protagonist is in conflict with society and refuses maturity, preferring to adopt an alternative lifestyle; 8) their experiences take place in an eternal, post-historical present, 9) their friendship is transitional and 10) their bond revolves around an object.
In these literary texts, the object as a cohesive force replaces the social aggregative power previously exerted by mass historical events. Furthermore, the authors display awareness of the publishing market and its dynamics and they envision their texts as books-products instead of pieces of literature; these two features indicate a “material turn” in this Greek prose fiction of the 1980s, a turn that is linked to the expansion of consumerism in Greece during Metapolitefsi. Far from passively assimilate consumerist culture, however, these young writers seem to negotiate its values and principles; individualism and narcissism are refused and a collective class-cutting bond is maintained, based on autonomy, economic collectivism and gender equality.
References
Bambasakis G.-I. 1985, Κόκκινες νύχτες [Notti rosse], Eratò, Athina.
Damianidi A. 1981, Οι ξυπόλυτες [Le scalze], Diogenis, Athina.
Raptòpulos V. 2003, Η γενιά μου. Κομματάκια / Διόδια / Τα τζιτζίκια [La mia generazione. Pezzettini / Pedaggio / Le cicale], Kedros, Athina.
Raptòpulos V. 1985, Τα τζιτζίκια [Le cicale], Bell – Logotechnikì vivliothiki, Athina.
Raptòpulos V. 1982, Τα διόδια [Il pedaggio], Kalvos, Athina.
Raptòpulos V. 1979, Κομματάκια [Pezzetti], Kedros, Athina.
Sotiropùlu E. 2010 [1982], Η Φάρσα [Lo scherzo], Ekdossis Pataki, Athina.
Tatsòpulos P. 2017 [1982], Το παυσίπονο [Il calmante], Oxì [Brainfood Ekdotikì], Athina.
Tatsòpulos P. 1989 [1980], Οι ανήλικοι, Vivliopolion tis Estìas, Athina.
Vakalòpulos C. 2013 [1980], Υπόθεση μπεστ-σέλλερ [La questione best-seller], Vivliopolion tis Estìas, Athina
Chatzivassilìu V. 2018, Η κίνηση του εκκρεμούς. Άτομο και κοινωνία στη νεότερη ελληνική πεζογραφία: 1974-2017 [Il movimento del pendolo. Individuo e società nella narrativa greca contemporanea: 1974-2017], Polis, Athina.
Ciampitti N. 2012, Il romanzo generazionale, Italic, Ancona.
Dimitrakakis G. e Nàtsina A. (epim.), Μεταπολίτευση 1974-1981. Λογοτεχνία και πολιτισμική ιστορία [Metapolìtefsi 1974-1981. Letteratura e storia culturale], Ekdossis tis Filosofikìs Scholìs Panepistìmio Kritis, Rethimno.
Donnarumma R. 2019, Ripensandoci. Il Sessantotto nel romanzo italiano di oggi (Luperini, Pecoraro, Ferrante), in Waandenburg 2019, pp. 602-618.
Donnarumma R. 2017, Hors de la post-histoire. Du roman historique au roman générationnel, in Ouellet et. al. 2017, pp. 89-104.
Gobbo F. 2020, Il romanzo generazionale nella letteratura italiana contemporanea (2001-2020). Der historische und „generationelle“ Bildungsroman in der italienischen Gegenwartsliteratur (2001-2020), Tesi di Dottorato, Università di Pisa e Friedrich–Alexander–Universität Erlangen–Nürnberg, a.a. 2019/2020.
Kastrinaki A. 2021, Οι περιπέτειες της νεότητας στην πεζογραφία της Μεταπολίτευσης [Le avventure della gioventù nella narrativa della Metapolìtefsi]), in Dimitrakakis e Nàtsina 2021, pp. 89-107.
Kefalas I. 1987, Η γενιά του ιδιωτικού οράματος (Νέες εμφανίσεις στην ποίηση) [La generazione della visione privata (Nuove comparse in poesia)], Tefrippon, Athina.
Kotzià E. 2021, Σχεδιάγραμμα τάσεων και στάσεων στην πεζογραφία της πρώτης μεταπολιτευτικής δεκαετίας [Mappa delle tendenze e delle tappe nella narrativa del primo decennio di Metapolitefsi], in Dimitrakakis e Nàtsina 2021, pp. 31-38.
Kotzià E. 2020, Ελληνική πεζογραφία 1974-2020. Το μέτρο και τα σταθμά [Narrativa neogreca 1974-2020. La misura e le tappe], Polis, Athina.
Kùngulu Th.V. 2007, Συνηγορία του “ιδιωτικού οράματος”. Ο Ηλίας Κεφάλας και η κριτική για την ποιητική γενιά του 1980 [Apologia della “visione privata”. Ilias Kefalas e la critica sulla generazione poetica del 1980], in “Μανδραγόρας. Τετραμηνιαίο Περιοδικό για την Τέχνη και τη Ζωή”, 36, pp. 101-104.
Kùrtovik D. 2020, Η ελιά και η φλαμουριά. Ελλάδα και κόσμος, άτομο και ιστορία στην ελληνική πεζογραφία 1974-2020 [L’olivo e il tiglio. Grecia e mondo, individuo e storia nella narrativa greca 1974-2020], Pataki, Athina.
Kùrtovik D. 1991, Ημεδαπή εξορία. Κείμενα για την ελληνική λογοτεχνία 1986-1991 [Esilio in patria. Testi sulla letteratura neogreca 1986-1991], Opera, Athina.
Maffesoli M. 1988 [1988], Il tempo delle tribù. Il declino dell'individualismo nelle società di massa, trad. it. V. Grassi, Armando Editore, Roma.
Manetti B. 2007, Formazioni di gruppo: il Bildungsroman collettivo del movimento studentesco, operaio e femminista, in Papini, Fioretti e Spignoli 2007, pp. 259-264.
Ouellet P., Daros P., Prstojevic A., Pellini P. 2017, L'acte littéraire à l'ère de la posthistoire, Intercultures, Quebec.
Papini M.C., Fioretti D. e Spignoli T. (a cura di) 2007, Il romanzo di formazione nell’Ottocento e nel Novecento, ETS, Pisa 2007.
Perandonakis G. 2013, Η γενιά του ’80 ως προάγγελος του σύγχρονου μπεστ-σέλερ [La generazione degli anni ’80 come preannunciatrice del best-seller contemporaneo], in “Bookpress”, 6.IX.2013, disponibile online
https://bookpress.gr/stiles/eponimos/3716--80-, (23.11.2022).
Schiermer B., Gook B. e Cuzzocrea V. (eds.) 2022, Youth Collectivities. Cultures and Objects, Routledge, london-New York.
Spiropulu A. e Tsimbuki Th. (epim.) 2002, Σύγχρονη ελληνική πεζογραφία: διεθνείς προσανατολισμοί και διασταυρώσεις [Narrativa greca contemporanea: tendenze e incroci internazionali], Ekdosseis Alexandreia, Athina.
Tsakniàs S. 1990, Επί τα ίχνη. Κριτικά κείμενα 1985-1988 [Sulle tracce. Testi critici 1985-1988], Sokoli, Athina.
Tsakniàs S. 1983, Δακτυλικά αποτυπώματα. Κριτικά κείμενα [Impronte digitali. Testi critici], Ekdosseis Kastanioti, Athina.
Tsirimoku L. 2021, Οι τζίτζικες και οι μέρμηγκες της λογοτεχνικής μεταπολίτευσης. Ρήξεις και συνέχειες στις γενιές των πεζογράφων [Le cicale e le formiche della Metapolìtefsi letteraria. Interruzioni e continuità tra le generazioni di narratori]) in Dimitrakakis e Nàtsina 2021, pp. 47-58.
Turnà C. 2018, Ο μεταμοντερνισμός και η γενιά του ’80 [il postmoderno e la generazione degli anni ‘80], Koralli, Athina.
Tziovas D. 20022, Το παλίμψηστο της ελληνικής αφήγησης. Από την αφηγηματολογία στη διαλογικότητα [Il palinsesto della narrazione greca. Dalla narratologia alla dialogicità], Ekdosseis Odisseas, Athina.
Waandenburg J. (a cura di) 2019, Tutto ti serva di libro. Studi di letteratura italiana per Pasquale Guaragnella, Argo, Lecce, Vol. II.
Zestanakis P. 2016, Motorcycling in 1980s Athens Popularization, Representational Politics, and Social Identities, in “Transfers: Interdisciplinary Journal of Mobility Studies”, 6 [3], http://dx.doi.org/10.3167/TRANS.2016.060302 (1.7.2022).
Ziras A. 2002, Ειρωνεία, σάτιρα και παρωδία στους Έλληνες πεζογράφους μετά το 1975 [Ironia, satira e parodia nei narratori greci dopo il 1975], in Spiropulu A. e Tsimbuki Th. (epim.) 2002, pp. 174-187.
Full Text: PDF
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
