On April 23, 2021 (Friday) at 16:00, the BHFC will present the online lecture “Greek Revolution of 1821 in Greek and Foreign Poetry” by Dr. Svitlana Perepliotchikova, Associate Professor of the Institute of Philology and the Center for Hellenistic Studies and Greek culture of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
“Poetry and revolution are identical concepts. It was through precisely poetry that the Greek Revolution of 1821 found its way to the soles of not only the Greeks, but also rebellious Europeans. The senses of uprising and resistance found their expression in poems. Different meanings expressed by poetic word reflected events truthfully and with respect, inspiring the insurgent Greeks. On the 200th anniversary of the Greek revolution, let us talk not about its political basis and the course of events, but about human dimensions of history. Simple people armed with the idea of a revolution did not have another way to express their pain and suffering, on the one hand, tell about historical events in the moment they occurred, on the other hand. The Greek Revolution of 1821 first sounded through Cleft songs, which researchers consider the top of traditional Folk Greek poetry. This deeply lyrical poetry, which dynamically and with extraordinary expression presents the vision of the renewed homeland and the united nation, made an extraordinary impression on the intellectuals of that time who responded to it by their works written in the spirit of Enlightenment. First, Rigas Fereos glorified the descendants of Alexander the Great and with his march called them to the struggle. Subsequently, Dionysius Solomos wrote his “Hymn to Freedom”, which in poetic and allegorical way at that time personified Greece. This verse, translated into many languages, contributed to the activation of the Philhellene movement. Andreas Kalvos even decided to return to Greece and devoted a number of his works to the Revolution. The liberation struggle of the Greek people became the theme of the works of many Greek poets of that time such as Alexandros Rizos Rantavis, Soutsos brothers and Aristoteles Valaoritis, as well as foreigners including George Gordon Byron, Victor Hugo and Wilhelm Müller”.
The lecture will take place on the ZOOM platform
Connection to the conference (lectures) via the following link: https://zoom.us/j/97777931870?pwd=u9gzdivvuexanhzwemxczg2tfjszz09
Conference ID: 977 7793 1870
Access code: 322965
