Christos Constantinidis
Encyclopedia
Christos Constantinidis (1950–1994) was the founder of the "Diethnis Vivliothiki" ("International Library") publishing collective in Athens
. Starting around 1971, during the military junta's rule in Greece, he published classic Anarchist and Situationist texts by Bakunin, Kropotkin
, Volin
, Thoreau
, Debord and others, as well as modern libertarian works (Jerry Rubin
's Do It!, Abbie Hoffman
's Revolution For The Hell of It, Timothy Leary
's Politics of Ecstasy, etc.). During the 1970s and 1980s, thirteen issues of Pezodromio, the collective's periodical, were published.
In 1973, he took part with his comrades in the students' anti-junta protests. They were among the first who started the Polytechnic Uprising in Athens on November 14, and tried to radicalise it. Their graffiti "Down with the state" and "Down with the capital" adorned the Polytechnic's gates for a day before being covered with more "pragmatic" slogans by other left-wing students who arrived later. The Uprising was brutally put down by the army three days later.
Between 1974 and 1983 Constantinidis was involved in solidarity campaigns, propaganda and direct action as well as publishing work. He was persecuted and imprisoned repeatedly for his beliefs. He was a friend of Murray Bookchin, Noam Chomsky and other libertarians.
In the mid-1980s, disillusioned with what was left from the Greek anarchist movement, he moved to Crete to lead a quiet life closer to nature. His premature death in 1994 saddened friends and comrades all over Greece and abroad. He was survived by a daughter, Emma.
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. Starting around 1971, during the military junta's rule in Greece, he published classic Anarchist and Situationist texts by Bakunin, Kropotkin
Kropotkin
Peter Kropotkin was a Russian prince and anarchist.Kropotkin may also refer to:*Pyotr Nikolayevich Kropotkin , Soviet/Russian geologist, tectonician, and geophysicist*Mount Kropotkin, a peak in Antarctica...
, Volin
Volin
Vsevolod Mikhailovich Eikhenbaum , known in later life as Volin or Voline , was a leading Russian anarchist who participated in the Russian and Ukrainian Revolutions before being forced into exile by the Bolshevik Party government...
, Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist...
, Debord and others, as well as modern libertarian works (Jerry Rubin
Jerry Rubin
Jerry Rubin was an American social activist during the 1960s and 1970s. During the 1980s, he became a successful businessman.-Early life:...
's Do It!, Abbie Hoffman
Abbie Hoffman
Abbot Howard "Abbie" Hoffman was a political and social activist who co-founded the Youth International Party ....
's Revolution For The Hell of It, Timothy Leary
Timothy Leary
Timothy Francis Leary was an American psychologist and writer, known for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs. During a time when drugs like LSD and psilocybin were legal, Leary conducted experiments at Harvard University under the Harvard Psilocybin Project, resulting in the Concord Prison...
's Politics of Ecstasy, etc.). During the 1970s and 1980s, thirteen issues of Pezodromio, the collective's periodical, were published.
In 1973, he took part with his comrades in the students' anti-junta protests. They were among the first who started the Polytechnic Uprising in Athens on November 14, and tried to radicalise it. Their graffiti "Down with the state" and "Down with the capital" adorned the Polytechnic's gates for a day before being covered with more "pragmatic" slogans by other left-wing students who arrived later. The Uprising was brutally put down by the army three days later.
Between 1974 and 1983 Constantinidis was involved in solidarity campaigns, propaganda and direct action as well as publishing work. He was persecuted and imprisoned repeatedly for his beliefs. He was a friend of Murray Bookchin, Noam Chomsky and other libertarians.
In the mid-1980s, disillusioned with what was left from the Greek anarchist movement, he moved to Crete to lead a quiet life closer to nature. His premature death in 1994 saddened friends and comrades all over Greece and abroad. He was survived by a daughter, Emma.