Big Bridge Press Hosts New Greek Avant Garde Poetry Anthology

Panos Bosnakis edits a new anthology that approaches Greece's forgotten avant garde in a truly innovative way. The anthology, published by Big Bridge Press, includes a few familiar faces (Demosthenes Agrafiotis) and a few less familiar names. From Bosnakis's introduction, called "Language Experimentation and Poetry Revolt to National Modernism: The Case of the Greek Avant-Garde Poetry:"

Some explanations are necessary from the beginning. I was born and raised in Greece from both grandfathers who were war refugees from a Greek city in the Black Sea. Well before I went to school, I had learned from my family to treasure books, especially poetry, and love diaspora, as most of our relatives were dispersed in various countries the USA, Bulgaria, Israel, Australia, France and Italy. In my early school years, I was immersed in hundreds rare to find books of Greek and American Literature. When other children had toys, I had old editions of Cavafy, Shakespeare, Classical European and American authors, rare Greek Poetry Anthologies in the Purist along with old purist Greek translations of Gothic and Detective Novels, and much more. Until today I never had a TV in my house, anything but books and music.

The fate of the Greek poet is one that needs an explanation. My birth country is one of the oldest with records of 100.000 years of history. Our language is the best reminder of it and the Modern Greek State is merely an abstraction of a very long and complicated lost history. The Greek poet carries with him this challenging heritage which is difficult to manage by following accepted modern rules. History flows in the poet's blood so live that blinds and troubles him to come to terms with modernity and contemporary time. The anxiety of the past creates special priorities, hierarchies, and conditions that exempt Greek Literature from other Modern ones.

Learn more at Big Bridge Press.