Nikos Mavrelos: The reception of Poe in Greece and Roidis' perspective

I have recently come across a very intriguing study by Nikolaos Mavrelos, faculty member of  the Democritus University of Thrace. His 2003 publication titled "The reception of Poe in Greece and Roidis' perspective," carefully examines how Poe's works were introduced to the Greeks while reconsidering the similarities and dissimilarities of these translations compared to the original texts as well as to Baudelaire's adaptations. 

It is well known that Baudelaire influenced the majority of European countries when it came to Poe's arrival there. In fact, many have justly argued that the ideal image of Poe in the eyes of the Europeans is owed to the French author. 

In spite of this, Mavrelos uncovers a number of dissimilarities between Rhoides and Baudelaire. There is a general consensus that it was only natural for translators of Poe's works to follow Baudelaire's lead. Yet, after a triple comparison of a number of works, Mavrelos interestingly asserts that "it is not certain that Rhoides had not checked the original work". Mavrelos ultimately concludes that the Greek litterateur's previous works are "forerunners of the way he presented Poe, unveiling a somehow forgotten side of Poe's work". More on that article, and on the reasons why Rhoides opted for a different approach to Poe's works in my future posts.
You may find Mavrelos' article here.

Works Cited

Mavrelos, Nikos. "The Reception of Poe in Greece and Roidis' Perspective." Comparaison 14.1 (2003): 75-99.

Emmanuel Rhoides and Poe

Emmanuel Rhoides, the first translator of Poe in Greece

Emmanuel Rhoides, the first Greek translator who introduced Poe to the Greeks, has been widely praised for his work. Indeed, his translations inspired many, and several translators of Poe emerged soon after his 1872 translation of Poe's "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar". 

Rhoides was severely influenced by Baudelaire upon his task of translating Poe's stories, just like the majority of the European countries. Yet, over the past few years, relevant research has wondered why his translations were not similar to the French author's. In answer to this question, I may note that Rhoides has intentionally tried to avoid being influenced by Baudelaire. In fact, I argue that he had read the original works in English, and there are several clues that point to that conclusion. 

A page before his first translation in 1877 in the first ever issue of "Parnassus", readers encounter the first Greek critical text on Poe, a foreword written by Rhoides. Its title is "Εδγαρδος Ποου", Poe's name exactly as it is pronounced in English. Why didn't Rhoides adopt one of the foreign versions of pronunciations of Poe's name? Most likely, he was a fluent English speaker. Also, Rhoides makes no mention of Baudelaire in his work, and he never advertises Poe's lie of having travelled to Greece--Baudelaire frequently fell into Poe's trap. 

More on Rhoides, his passion for Poe's work, and his impact on other Greek authors and poets in future posts.

"A Predicament" and Chronos

Chronos, the Hellenic God 

Upon reexamining Poe's "A Predicament," a short story that has rightly been considered as a 'sequel' of "How to Write a Blackwood Article" I stumbled upon some images that reminded me of the Hellenic god of Time. 

Chronos, often confused by scholars as the ancient god Cronus, was Time in Hellenic thought. He is usually depicted by archaeologists bearing a scythe. His role was to dominate people's lives, taking them away when their time was due. It is interesting that Psyche Zenobia, the story's protagonist, passes away by being decapitated by a clock. Perhaps we might be witnesses of yet another Hellenic allusion here, one that I was not able to find in any relevant study. 

More on this on a future publication of mine which I will connect to this post in due time. 

Technical Difficulties

Dear visitors,
This is to apologize for the long period of being inactive. Due to technical difficulties I have not been able to have access to the blog; this ultimately prevents me from publishing posts. Be that as it may, I am soon going to resolve these issues and I will be return with several interesting posts on Poe and his reception in Europe.
Coming up, my focus will fall upon Maria Filippakopoulou's Transatlantic Poe which mainly focuses on the American author's reception in Europe while also dealing with Baudelaire and his engagement with Poe's works.
Once again, I apologize for the lack of posts over the past few weeks.
With best wishes,

D.T.