Modern Greek Literature

MODERN GREEK LITERATURE Modern Greek literature refers to literature written in the Greek language from the 11th century, with texts written in a language that is more familiar to the ears of Greeks today than is the language of the early Byzantine literature, the compilers of the New Testament, or, of course, the classical authors of the fifth and fourth centuries BC. 1 The emergence of modern Greek literature (11th - 15th century) 1.1 Acritic songs 1.2 Romances 1.3 Tales set in the classical world 2 Cretan literature (15th-17th centuries) 3 Enlightenment era (17th century-1821) 4 19th century literature (1821-1880) 4.1 Ionian or Heptanese School of Literature 4.2 Historiography 4.3 Folklore 4.4 Romantic or First Athenian School of poetry 5 Late 19th - Early 20th century literature (1880-1930) 5.1 E. Roidis, G. Vizyinos 5.2 1880s Generation or New Athenian School 5.3 C. Cavafy 5.4 Neo-romanticism or Neosymbolism 5.5 N. Kazantzakis 5.6 K. Varnalis, A. Sikelianos 6 20th century literature (1930-1981) 6.1 1930s Generation (‘30) 6.1.1 Poetry 6.1.2 Prose 6.2 The Surrealists (Late 1930s) 6.3 Postwar literature (1944 1974) 6.4 Contemporary literature (1974 -)

The emergence of modern Greek literature (11th - 15th century) The main forms and themes of this period include scholarly and popular epic songs celebrating the new champions of Hellenism; long compositions; verse romance, which bore the stamp of influence from western courtly tradition, but a genre nevertheless rooted in the Hellenistic and Roman imperial ages; ancient stories reviving mythical and historical figures such as Achilles and Theseus and Alexander the Great; and didactic, sardonic texts, concerned with philosophy and the allegory of daily life, with birds and animals taking the leading roles. But these will prove to be also the mainstay of modern Greek literature, modified, of course, by the various aesthetic and other values specific to each era. Acritic songs The cultural context within which the