“I Write As It Comes Down To Me”: Papadiamantis as a Poet and the Ethos of Inspiration. 115 Years Since His Repose.

Photograph of Alexandros Papadiamantis by Pavlos Nirvanas at Dexamenis Square in 1906.

By Stelios Koukos

“I write as it comes down to me.” How tragic —  and how beautiful! Tragic for a professional journalist when he is asked to write an article and he gets blocked, loses his bearings, doesn’t know where to begin or where to end; and a blessing when it comes to a poet, who is guided by inspiration to write something within the personal form he has established for himself.

This is also the case with a prose writer of the stature of Alexandros Papadiamantis, who uttered the above phrase. It was particularly tragic for him to be asked to improvise, in a sense, on the spot, on a topical subject, writing an article to be published in a newspaper. Nothing could be more shocking for a poet — such as the great writer from Skiathos! Even for the same man who worked in the press as a translator from English and French newspapers.

Nevertheless, Papadiamantis was probably put in an awkward position before his employer, the legendary Constantinopolitan publisher Vlasis Gavrielidis, who asked — or rather entrusted — him with this task. He believed that Papadiamantis would be the most suitable person to write it. Perhaps he even thought that Papadiamantis would express the “line” of the publisher and the newspaper.

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On Religious Cinema

 

By His Eminence Metropolitan Saba (Isper)

With the ongoing rise and spread of movies and television series, the production of religious films follows this trend. The approach to depicting religious events on screen varies depending on the production entity behind them. As the "seventh art"[1] developed, the number of production houses multiplied, and cinematic technology reached levels close to the fantastic. Because religious matters are among the most significant fields of human concern, across religions and sects, it is natural that the dramatic arts would follow religious themes though for different reasons.

Like any art form, religious art is used for purposes of evangelization, education, documentation, and to promote the beliefs upheld by the producers. Neutrality is rare, especially in this field. In our times, both private and public institutions, even official bodies, compete to present this type of art because it attracts large audiences and stirs the emotions of the religiously inclined in general. Thus, it is now almost impossible to find a screen that does not occasionally present something that touches on religious themes, especially in these troubled days, when appealing to religious emotions has become widely popular.

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