Andreas Karkavitsas
Encyclopedia
Andreas Karkavitsas or Carcavitsas(Greek: Ανδρέας Καρκαβίτσας, Lechaina
, Greece
1866 - Marousi
October 10, 1922) was a Greek
novelist. He was a naturalist
, like Alexandros Papadiamantis
.
in the modern Ilia Prefecture. He studied medicine.
As an army doctor he travelled across a great range of villages and settlements, from which he recorded traditions and legends.
He died on October 10, 1922 of laryngeal cancer.
He is commemorated in a street that runs west of Papaflessa and Polytechneiou Streets (the old GR-9
, Patras
- Pyrgos - Kyparissia
) to the western portion near the road to Lechaina Beach
. By the intersection in a small square, a statue was also erected in bronze and marble.
Karkavitsas wrote in the European tradition of naturalism (exemplified by Émile Zola), which does not shrink from portraying the seamier parts of life among humble people, rather than romanticising or embellishing reality. He was a folklorist with a gift for spinning tales full of authentic details of simple people's lives, local customs, dialects and folktales, as well as psychological insights about them. He was more successful as a short-story and novella writer. "The Beggar" is a novella about con-men, violence and the grotesque practices of professional beggars (including purposely maiming children to turn them into profitable objects of pity). "Words from the prow" is about the lives of seafarers, fishermen and sponge-divers, full of arcane details of their craft as well as folk-tale-inflected plots of tragedy, shipwreck, hands lost at sea, murder, superstition and the supernatural, as well as the joys of making a living off the sea.
Lechaina
Lechaina is a town and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andravida-Kyllini, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is situated 39 km north of the city of Pyrgos, and 60 km southwest of Patras...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
1866 - Marousi
Marousi
Marousi , alternative forms: Maroussi, Amarousion, and Amaroussion, is a suburban city NE of Athens, Greece. The Athens Olympic Sports Complex, the largest sports complex in Greece, is also located here; its main street is Kifisias Avenue, and also contains four ISAP train stations and two of the...
October 10, 1922) was a Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
novelist. He was a naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
, like Alexandros Papadiamantis
Alexandros Papadiamantis
Alexandros Papadiamantis was an influential Greek novelist and short-story writer.-His life:Papadiamantis was born in Greece, on the island of Skiathos, in the western part of the Aegean Sea. The island would figure prominently in his work. His father was a priest...
.
Biography
He was born in 1866 in the north-west Peloponnese, in the town of LechainaLechaina
Lechaina is a town and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andravida-Kyllini, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is situated 39 km north of the city of Pyrgos, and 60 km southwest of Patras...
in the modern Ilia Prefecture. He studied medicine.
As an army doctor he travelled across a great range of villages and settlements, from which he recorded traditions and legends.
He died on October 10, 1922 of laryngeal cancer.
He is commemorated in a street that runs west of Papaflessa and Polytechneiou Streets (the old GR-9
Greek National Road 9
Greek National Road 9 is the second-longest national highway of Greece. It runs through the western Peloponnese, from Patras to Pylos. Its length is around .This highway travels near:*Bypasses:*Patras and Area, since 2002*Vrachneika*Alissos*Kato Achaia...
, Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
- Pyrgos - Kyparissia
Kyparissia
Kyparissia is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Trifylia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The town proper has around 5,708 inhabitants. The town is located on Greek National Road 9,...
) to the western portion near the road to Lechaina Beach
Agios Panteleimonas
Agios Panteleimonas is a small settlement in the northwestern part of Lechaina, Greece. Its population is about seventy and was 63 in the 2001 census. The sects include Kotineika, Koloveika and Veskoukeika...
. By the intersection in a small square, a statue was also erected in bronze and marble.
Selected writings
| Year | Title | English meaning | Published in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1892 | Διηγήματα (Diiyimata) | Stories | Athens |
| 1896 | Η Λυγερή (I Liyeri) | The willowy girl | Athens |
| 1897 | Θεσσαλικές εικόνες. Ο ζητιάνος (Thessalikes eikones. O zitianos) | Thessalian Thessaly Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey.... images. The beggar |
Athens |
| 1899 | Λόγια της πλώρης. θαλασσινά διηγήματα (Logia tis ploris. Thalassina diiyimata) | Words from the prow. Sea stories | Athens |
| 1900 | Παλιές αγάπες 1885-1897 (Palies agapes) | Old loves 1885-1897 | Athens |
| 1904 | Ο αρχαιολόγος (O arheologos) | The archeologist | Athens |
| 1922 | Διηγήματα του γυαλιού (Diiyimata tou yaliou) | Stories from the shore | Athens |
| 1922 | Διηγήματα για τα παληκάρια μας (Diiyimata ya ta palikaria mas) | Stories about our lads | Athens |
Karkavitsas wrote in the European tradition of naturalism (exemplified by Émile Zola), which does not shrink from portraying the seamier parts of life among humble people, rather than romanticising or embellishing reality. He was a folklorist with a gift for spinning tales full of authentic details of simple people's lives, local customs, dialects and folktales, as well as psychological insights about them. He was more successful as a short-story and novella writer. "The Beggar" is a novella about con-men, violence and the grotesque practices of professional beggars (including purposely maiming children to turn them into profitable objects of pity). "Words from the prow" is about the lives of seafarers, fishermen and sponge-divers, full of arcane details of their craft as well as folk-tale-inflected plots of tragedy, shipwreck, hands lost at sea, murder, superstition and the supernatural, as well as the joys of making a living off the sea.