Konstantinos THeotokis

Theotokis Konstantinos (1872-1923). Konstantinos Theotokis was born in 1872 in Corfu, the son of Markos Theotokis and Angeliki Polylas, the niece of Iakovos Polylas. He had two brothers. He received his early education at the private Kontoutis school, then attended the Kapodistrias Educational Institution for eight years, and graduated from high school in 1888. While still a student, he wrote the school manual "Manual for the Construction of Various Paper Games. Part One: The Bird." During the same period, he developed an interest in the natural sciences, and in 1884, at the age of fourteen, he published the newspaper "Elpis" with his brother Konstantinos. In 1887, he published a study on the electrochemical telegraph and sent a study on the controlled balloon to the French Academy of Sciences, which was praised. In 1889, he enrolled at the University of Sorbonne to study physical and mathematical sciences. The worldly and extravagant lifestyle he chose led him to continue his studies in Venice two years later. There, he formed a relationship with Baroness Ernestine von Malovits, seventeen years his senior, from whom he temporarily separated due to his father's intervention the same year, but married two years later in Bohemia. A year later, he settled with his wife in the tower of Karousades. It was then that his deep friendship with Lorenzo Mavilis began, with whom he participated in the Cretan revolution and the war of 1897, and from whom he adopted an interest in Sanskrit mythology. Subsequently, Konstantinos went for six months of study in Graz, Austria, where he came into contact with the thoughts of Marx and Nietzsche and turned towards theoretical sciences. In 1895, he published a romance novel in French, and in 1899, he serialized "Passion and Faith" in the magazine "Art" by Konstantinos Chatzopoulos. In 1900, his daughter Ernestine died of meningitis at the age of five. In 1901, he published the short story "Juventus Mundi" in "Dionysus," and the following year, "Kassopi." In 1902, he visited Zakynthos on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of Solomos's birth and published an article on Solomos in the newspaper "Neue Presse" of Vienna the same year. In 1903, he met his future close friend Irene Dendrinou, and in 1904, he published his dissertation "Sanskrit and Katharevousa" in "Noumas." In 1905, he organized a conference of demoticists in Corfu on the occasion of Alexandros Pallis's visit there. Invited guests Kostis Palamas, Giannis Psycharis, and Ioannis Gryparis did not attend. Between 1907 and 1909, he was at the University of Munich for studies and returned to Corfu, where he welcomed the socialist Mazarakis. He was a founding member of the Socialist Group of Corfu and later the Mutual Aid Workers' Association of Corfu, and in 1912, he was awarded the Cross of the Savior by the government, an award he declined. In 1916, he participated in a special mission of the Thessaloniki revolutionary movement in Rome, commissioned by then Foreign Minister Nikolaos Politis. He returned to Corfu and was appointed government representative in Corfu, a position he resigned from the same year. In 1917, after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, Theotokis and his wife were financially ruined. His health deteriorated. He worked sporadically as a director of censorship (for two days), as an employee at Eleftheroudakis Publications, the Foreign and Exhibitions Service, and the National Library, while throughout his life he continued to publish his prose, poetry, and translations in many literary magazines and newspapers (such as Art, Noumas, Dionysos, etc.). The last years of his life were very difficult due to his dire financial situation and illness. He underwent surgery at Evangelismos Hospital, and the doctors advised him to move to Corfu, where he died on July 1, 1923, leaving his last work, titled "Father Jordan Cheerful and His Parish," unfinished. In the field of original literary creation, Theotokis mainly engaged in prose. He began by writing short stories (primarily during the period 1898-1910) influenced by German idealism and Nietzsche's thought, with mythological, medieval, and other themes, all distant from his contemporary reality. He soon changed direction and followed an evolutionary path from psychographic ethnography and aesthetic writing to ideologically charged social realism (influences from socialism) and naturalism. Milestones in his journey include "The Passion," "The Pledge," "Honor and Money," and "The Life and Death of Karavellas." In poetry, he wrote 32 sonnets, primarily with romantic themes. Noteworthy are also his philological studies and his meticulously crafted translations of significant works from both older and contemporary world literature (Theotokis spoke ten languages), aiming at the intellectual awakening of the people, alongside his friend Konstantinos Chatzopoulos. For more biographical details on Konstantinos Theotokis, see Manolis Gialourakis, "Theotokis Konstantinos," Great Encyclopedia of Modern Greek Literature 7. Athens, Haris Patsis, n.d., Giannis Dallas, "Konstantinos Theotokis," Our Older Prose; From its beginnings to the First World War X (1900-1914), pp. 182-230. Athens, Sokolis, 1997, Vasilis Kalamaras, "Work Biography of Konstantinos Theotokis," Diavazo 92, 18/4/1984, pp. 14-18, Niki Lykourgos, "Theotokis Konstantinos," World Biographical Dictionary 4. Athens, Ekdotiki Athinon, 1985, Maria Martzoukou, "Chronology of Konstantinos Theotokis," Porphyra 57-58 (Corfu), 4-9/1991, pp. 185-206, and Maria Martzoukou, "Comparative Chronology of Konstantinos Theotokis," Porphyra 80 (Corfu), 1-3/1997, pp. 436-449. (Source: Archive of Greek Writers, EKEVI).