Was Kostis Palamas truly an immovable element? Here we stand before the Kostis Palamas statue. It stands as a monument to a man who represented the very spirit of a generation.
Kostis Palamas was born in Patras in 1859. Orphaned at a young age, the unique landscape of Messolonghi left a lasting mark on him. Though he studied law, his heart belonged to poetry. By 1879, he wrote for newspapers. In 1886, he published his first collection Songs of my Fatherland.
Kostis Palamas championed demotic Greek. This was the spoken language of the people. He rejected katharevousa. That was the formal language adopted after the revolution. Many criticized him. They opposed his use of the demotic language.
Kostis Palamas responded to his critics with defiance. He saw language as owned by the people. He believed poets had the right to create and use words freely.
In 1889, Kostis Palamas won the national Filadelfeios poetry prize. He won it again in 1890. He wrote the words to the Olympic Hymn for the 1896 Athens Olympics. This hymn is still sung at the opening and closing of every Olympics.
In 1897, Kostis Palamas became secretary of Athens University. He held this post until 1926. The university was full of katharevousa supporters. One rector hoped Palamas would stop writing poetry.
The death of his son Alkis in 1898 deeply affected him. He wrote one of his most poignant poems. It was a work called The Grave.
Kostis Palamas faced condemnation during the Gospel Riots in 1901. These riots protested a demotic translation of the New Testament. Students reviled him as one of the ‘Hairy Ones’. That was a derogatory term for demoticists.
Yet, he continued to write. He produced over 20 poetry collections. In 1926, Kostis Palamas was elected a member of the Athens Academy. By 1930, he rose to become its president. His last collection was The Nights of Fimios published in 1935.
His funeral in 1943 sparked a massive protest. This was against the German occupation. Poet Angelos Sikelianos placed his hands on the coffin. He began his eulogy with powerful words. The crowd defiantly sang the Greek National Anthem.
Kostis Palamas was nominated for the Nobel Prize 14 times. He never received it. He was called the national poet of Greece. Romain Rolland considered him the greatest poet in Europe.
The old administration building of the University of Athens now honors him. It is called the “Kostis Palamas Building.” It houses the Greek Theater Museum.
Kostis Palamas’s life was marked by both triumph and tragedy. He died during the Axis occupation. His funeral became a symbol of resistance. His words continue to inspire. They remind us of the power of language.