Pericles Korovessis. Περικλής Κοροβέσης (20 July 1941 – 11 April 2020), ΄Ανθρωποφύλακες. Κλείσ' το παράθυρο.

Looking through my books this morning, I found two old paperback copies of his book, "The Method" (1970). The Greek edition was published in Lund, Sweden.

Korovessis's death was reported in the press at the weekend.

Hard to believe that this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of this book.

From Wikipedia

Allison and Busby hardback, 1970

Related:

Kleis' To Parathiro
(Κλείσ' το παράθυρο, live concert recording, London, 11 June, 1971)

Στίχοι: Μάνος Ελευθερίου

Μουσική: Μίκης Θεοδωράκης

Πρώτη εκτέλεση: Μαρία Φαραντούρη

Τα τραγούδια του αγώνα - 1971

While held in Oropos Camp, Theodorakis composed some of the “Songs of Strife” (Polydor, 1971) like “Kleis’ to Parathiro” (an ironical kantada-style song, of the type that prisoners sang under their breath in cells or during transportation; set to a lyric by Manos Eleftheriou, about the horrors of torture by electric shock in the notorious No.18 Bouboulinas Street HQ of the Greek Security Police (Asphalia). Originally recorded in London, January, 1971.

These are some of the lyrics (by Manos Eleftheriou; my translation) of “Kleis’ to Parathiro” (‘Shut the Window’):

“Tonight don’t talk about poems
Nor of the pain which pierces your kidneys.
The prisoner in the next cell can’t hear the taps-
I can’t make out the messages, because of the rain.
Shut the window, the water gets in.

The corridor reeks of iodine
And the one over there was carted in.
From dusk they’d take him to the basement;
The wire they shoved on his tight-clenched mouth
Must have been electrified.”


The concert programme notes had the following to say about this song and some of the others:

"Kleis’ to parathiro: The words establish an atmosphere of fear and insecurity. Everybody hears and sees things happening and each thinks that perhaps he will be next. The light music and la, la, la’s imply that people know what’s going on- they won’t be terrified because they’ve been through it before and will endure it".