https://journals.phil.muni.cz/neograeca-bohemica <p>Neograeca Bohemica is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal that publishes original and review papers studying Late Byzantium and Modern Greece in a period ranging from 1204 A.D. up to these days. Thematically, it encompasses all fields of Late Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, including Greek linguistics, literature and Greek history.</p> <div id="homePage"> <div id="frontCover"> </div> </div> en-US neograecabohemica@gmail.com (Neograeca Bohemica) journals@phil.muni.cz (Technical support OJS FF MU) Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0200 OJS 3.2.1.4 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 https://journals.phil.muni.cz/neograeca-bohemica/article/view/42111 Journal Neograeca Bohemica Copyright © https://journals.phil.muni.cz/neograeca-bohemica/article/view/42111 Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0200 https://journals.phil.muni.cz/neograeca-bohemica/article/view/42112 Petros Marazopoulos Copyright © https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode.cs https://journals.phil.muni.cz/neograeca-bohemica/article/view/42112 Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0200 https://journals.phil.muni.cz/neograeca-bohemica/article/view/42113 The close monitoring of every artistic and intellectual movement by Metaxas's dictatorship has repeatedly been discussed. Th is monitoring was not achieved only in a direct way, i.e. through the imprisonment of intellectuals, book burnings or state censorship, but also by the implementation of various indirect tactics. All these tactics targeted to the limitation of negative reactions by the then Greek intelligentsia – or, at least, to stifle direct protest against the régime. Simultaneously, many bourgeois writers and artists seem either to had grown weary due to the very long political instability and social division, and to had become skeptical about the further strengthening of the left wing, or they were undoubtedly plunged into a greater confusion, viewing the development of a sharp patriotic (if not nationalistic) rhetoric which was identifi ed with the rise of totalitarian and authoritarian régimes throughout the world. In any case, any pertinent evidence needs to be carefully studied, on the one hand to explore the literary and intellectual interests of Metaxas himself, and on the other hand to clarify his personal views and the relationships of the 4th of August régime with intellectuals and artists, as well as of these latter with the dictator and the program of his administration. Furthermore, all this needs to be placed within the context of the actions of Metaxas's régime, the way it was ruthlessly harsh on followers of the left, especially the communists, thousands of whom were sent to prison or into exile. At the same time, the seeming support of those who took up public positions needs careful analysis: each individual writer and artist had mixed motives and often considerable ambivalence, and each case needs exploration in its own terms. George Andreiomenos Copyright © https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode.cs https://journals.phil.muni.cz/neograeca-bohemica/article/view/42113 Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0200 https://journals.phil.muni.cz/neograeca-bohemica/article/view/42114 The relationship between writing and constraint has been central throughout the history of literature. Constraint not only shapes artistic expression but also plays a pivotal role in the creation, reinterpretation, and renewal of genres, forms, tropes, and practices. In modern literature, this dynamic even extends to negotiating the very opposite of expression: silence. This paper seeks to map out the various ways in which writers respond to the condition of writing under constraint, with particular focus on the context of totalitarianism, where the extremes of control and censorship impose unique challenges on literary creation. By examining how constraint influences both form and content, the paper aims to provide insights into the complex interplay between political oppression and artistic resistance, revealing how literature can both reflect and resist the forces that seek to limit its freedom. Dimitris Kargiotis Copyright © https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode.cs https://journals.phil.muni.cz/neograeca-bohemica/article/view/42114 Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0200 https://journals.phil.muni.cz/neograeca-bohemica/article/view/42115 Through this article we attempt to explore the relation between totalitarianism and literature from an epistemological point of view, mainly in Hannah Arendt's work. More precisely, we will present and analyse through the combination of two concepts: the one emerging from the Art of Aesthetics (and more particularly from the theory of literature) and the other from political theory/philosophy. The first – obvious – concept, considers totalitarianism and literature as absolutely opposed to each other, the second considers totalitarianism as a governing power, controlling everything, whereas literature is considered a per se expression of absolute freedom. Our goal is to indicate the connecting paths between the two concepts, i.e. the question whether every totalitarian regime has and/or intends to build its own literature or whether it oppresses all kinds of literature. Iordanis Koumasidis, Maria Pateraki Copyright © https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode.cs https://journals.phil.muni.cz/neograeca-bohemica/article/view/42115 Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0200 https://journals.phil.muni.cz/neograeca-bohemica/article/view/42116 In my paper, I discuss the Greek literary responses to the phenomenon of the economic crisis that erupted in 2008. Dystopian narratives appear to be a popular narrative framework for authors dealing with the economic crisis during the decade of 2010. The purpose of this article is to examine contemporary Greek literary texts that represent societies under economic crisis and were written after the recent recession. Greek authors often used dystopian narratives to depict the relationship between economic politics followed by the European Union, the world system and authoritarianism. These literary works reflect the authors' experiences of the concurrent political and economic reality, serving both as literary responses to the economic system as well as critique to such systems. In addition, the literary texts under examination raise concerns regarding the growing power of economic institutions and their interaction with political power. Greek authors oft en construct claustrophobic narrative structures, to explore themes such as the erosion of individuality, pervasive state surveillance and escalating oppression. In that sense, I explore literary representations of "Economy", "Power", "Europe" and "Work" in times of austerity, discussing them in the wider context of dystopian fiction and the theory of totalitarianism. Petros Marazopoulos Copyright © https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode.cs https://journals.phil.muni.cz/neograeca-bohemica/article/view/42116 Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0200 https://journals.phil.muni.cz/neograeca-bohemica/article/view/42117 This article explores the ways in which the totalitarian regimes of Greece and Romania in the 20th century restricted literary writings or banned already published works about a group of people afflicted by fate-namely lepers, who were isolated in leper colonies. On the other hand, the article aims to investigate the extent to which the establishment of totalitarian regimes transformed leprosy patients in these two countries into socially ostracized individuals, making them victims of the political changes of the era. Furthermore, the influence of political decisions on the communities of patients in Spinalonga and Tichilești will be examined. Using a wide range of historical, medical, and literary sources, as well as interviews conducted at the former leprosarium in Romania, this study will analyse these materials to identify the factors that contributed to the isolation of the lepers in leper colonies at the beginning of the 20th century. Through these texts, a comparative analysis of the social stigma faced by lepers in both countries will be conducted, focusing primarily on the influence of the political class on the living conditions of the isolated patients, as well as on the literary works written about them. This investigation incorporates literary sources through figures such as Galateia Kazantzaki, Themos Kornaros, Petros Pikros, and Yiannis Gennaropoulos, as well as the Romanian journalist Brunea-Fox. Moreover, the Tichilești leprosarium in Romania is viewed through the testimonies of former patients, as well as through the description of Dr. Nicolae Romanescu, who worked there during the communist period and left behind manuscripts that were later published by his grandson in a book titled The Last Leprosarium. Ionela Iulia Grigore Copyright © https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode.cs https://journals.phil.muni.cz/neograeca-bohemica/article/view/42117 Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0200 https://journals.phil.muni.cz/neograeca-bohemica/article/view/42118 The Second Sophistic is defined as the period of letters "rebirth" and the "rewriting" of the Greek past. The emperors of the time, mainly the Flavians, contributed to this development by highlighting the art of rhetoric through the writing of works and the establishment of schools. The Romans were aware of Greek tradition and Greek models, which they promoted, wishing to promote their political ideology and propaganda. The rhetoricians of the time, the sophists, engaged with and imitated the earlier classical authors. The historical past was a topic of interest. The reworking of familiar historical and mythological themes was a preoccupation in the schools of rhetoric, the result of which were "declamations", i.e. discourses of embellished presentation of the past. One of the rewriting subjects of the Greeks' history was the Persian Wars. Greco-Persian battles were extremely popular, as Spawforth (1994) and Swain (1996) note, ideologically serving both the Greeks and the Romans. The encouragement of this practice was accompanied by the provision of privileges and facilities, as literature was placed at the service and constituted a form of legitimization of the emperor's and the imperial state's role in protecting both halves of the civilized world. Maria Sandali Copyright © https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode.cs https://journals.phil.muni.cz/neograeca-bohemica/article/view/42118 Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0200