The deficient cultural reality that characterizes the life of modern Greeks to this day is the reason why the "generation of '30" continuously re-emerges in public discourse.
As knowledgeable and critical observers of both Greek and European political realities and intellectual traditions, the writers and intellectuals of this generation played a leading role in the public sphere during a difficult time for Hellenism; a time marked by visible symptoms of crisis in all areas of national life.
This climate of defeatism was addressed by the generation of people who were just emerging from the devastation of a World War and a national catastrophe.
Drawing upon the strengths of its long-standing tradition, as well as any modernizing influences from the great intellectual tradition of Europe that could enrich their spirit, the youth of the '30s showed the way toward a renewal of modern Greek mentality.
Their synchronization with the European currents of their time, while emphasizing a genuinely Greek character in their art, are fundamental elements of their approach.
The issues of "European identity" and "Greek identity," deeply interconnected in the case of this generation, were approached by its members not in terms of polarization but through the discourse of moderation.
They succeeded, thus, in leaving a legacy to later generations of a modern national ideology that helped them break free from introspection and insecurity, while simultaneously showing the path toward an outward-looking and equitable participation in the European reality, which remains relevant to this day.
Greeks and Europeans at the same time.
