MOHA Research Center in collaboration with the Rotary Club of West Kavala organized a tribute to the great Cretan writer Nikos Kazantzakis, shortly before the end of the year 2017, which has been declared by the Ministry of Culture as the ” Year of Nikos Kazantzakis “ on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of his death. The title of the event was “Salvatores Dei: First of all is the… Ascetic. Between the text and the music, small placements…” and it took place at the Grande Salle of Imaret, Kavala.

The lawyer and writer Kosmas Harpantidis read excerpts from ASCETIC and discussed with Dr. Nikos Mathioudakis, Scientific Adviser of Kazantzakis Publications. In the meantime, the musician and composer Michalis Preponis (lute, keyboards, singing) presented for first time, with the help of Apostolos Preponis (violin, yaylı tambur), three songs he has written by melodified poems of Nikos Kazantzakis.

The Ascetic [ Salvatores Dei ]

Nikos Kazantzakis’ book with stochastic content. His writing began in 1922 and ended in 1923, but it was published in 1927, by the Athenian magazine “Anagennisi”. In the project there were various revisions up to 1945, when it appeared complete. Now, it is released by Kazantzakis Publications. This book is considered to be one of the most popular of the Greek author, with many translations abroad. In this work, it is found the well-known phrase of the writer, which is also written on his tomb: “I hope nothing, I fear nothing, […] I am free”.

Nikos Mathioudakis

Doctor of Applied Linguistics & Literary Stylistics. Born in Heraklion, Crete. In 2012 he was awarded a Ph.D. from the Democritus University of Thrace with the subject: “Unrecorded Neologism in the ‘Odyssey’ by Nikos Kazantzakis: Strategies of Understanding, Ambiguity and Certainty”. He participates in scientific conferences of literary and linguistic interest, wishing to promote the science of language and literature. He works as a Scientific Adviser in the Kazantzakis Publications, with the main tasks of publishing unpublished manuscripts, letters, notes of Kazantzakis, as well as the reappointment of the new series of previously published works by the author. In 2013, he transcribed, carried out and documented the first erotic drama of Nikos Kazantzakis with the title “It Dawns”, which is published for first time in a book. He is also a member of the Associated Educational Staff of the Hellenic Open University, responsible for the academic teaching of the subject section “Editing Texts and Publishing Practices” in the Postgraduate Studies Program. Finally, he collaborates with publishers, taking up the editing of literary and theatrical plays, as well as scientific texts.

Kosmas Harpantidis

Born in 1959 in Kato Nevrokopi, Drama. He has studied law and has been practicing since 1986 in Kavala. He appeared in the letters, in the magazine Skapti Yli of Kavala in 1983. He has published in magazines and was a member of the editorial committee of the literary magazines of Kavala, Skapti Yli and Ypostego, in which, for years, he published his writings. He has been a member of the writers’ association since 2004. Dimitris Maronitis, Giorgos Araagis, G.Paganos, Euripides Garantoudis, Dimitris Kokoris, Alexis Ziras, Pantelis Boukasas, Maris Theodosopoulou, Vangelis Hatzivassiliou, Elisavet Kotzias, Maria Stasinopoulou, Christos Papageorgiou, Makis Karagiannis, Giannis Basskozos, Lambros Skouzakis, Elena Houzouri, Tasos Chatzitatsis, Nikos Vatopoulos and others have written about his work.

Michalis Preponis

He is an ENT doctor specializing in phoniatrics. At 7 years old he took classical piano lessons for 8 years. He is a self-taught multi-organist (saxophone, guitar, clarinet and lute). His work with music has been for over 25 years, during which he has filled his drawers with his own songs and melodies of various poets. In 2007, two of his friends, knowing his love for poetry, gave him the two poetic collections of Nikos Karouzos. This “meeting” with the lyrics of the poet, became the cause for the creation of the first album by Michalis Preponis titled “The Night is Better for Me” (Kapa Publishing, 2017), with which the composer is first recommended to the general public .