250.00€
Out of stock
Offered is an exceptionally interesting and scarce original double issue of the prestigious Greek literary magazine Panathenaia, containing the first printed publication of Protomastoras (The Master Builder) by Nikos Kazantzakis.
The item consists of Issues 233–234, Year X, dated 15–30 June 1910, and represents an important document from the very early literary career of Kazantzakis.
The complete text of Protomastoras appears on pages 131–144 and constitutes one of the most significant early publications by the future Nobel Prize–nominated Greek author.
Of particular bibliographical interest is the use of Kazantzakis’s early pseudonym:
“Petros Psiloritis” (Πέτρος Ψηλορείτης)
The pseudonym refers to Mount Psiloritis in Crete, Kazantzakis’s homeland, and reflects his deep personal connection with the island.
Original contemporary publications of the work bearing this early pseudonym are particularly desirable to collectors of Kazantzakis’s bibliography.
The opening of the work bears the significant dedication:
“Dedicated to Idas”
“Idas” was the literary pseudonym of Ion Dragoumis, the influential Greek diplomat, political thinker and intellectual.
The dedication documents the important intellectual relationship between Dragoumis and the young Kazantzakis and adds considerable historical interest to this early publication.
The tragedy is based on the famous Greek folk legend of the Bridge of Arta, transforming traditional Greek folklore into a powerful literary drama.
The 1910 Panathenaia publication predates the separate book edition and therefore represents the first printed publication of Protomastoras.
The work later acquired an important place in Greek musical theatre when Manolis Kalomiris adapted it for the stage as an opera in 1916.
Author: Nikos Kazantzakis (1883–1957)
Pseudonym: Petros Psiloritis / Πέτρος Ψηλορείτης
Title: Protomastoras / The Master Builder
First publication: Panathenaia
Year: 1910
Issues: 233–234
Date: 15–30 June 1910
Volume/Year: Year X
Language: Greek
Pages of Protomastoras: 131–144
Total issue: 32 pages
Format: Original illustrated literary periodical
The original front cover is preserved, including the contemporary table of contents prominently announcing Protomastoras.
The original rear cover is also retained, with its fascinating period advertisements, providing an additional glimpse into the publishing and commercial culture of Greece in 1910.
Excellent condition for an ephemeral publication dating from 1910.
The issue is complete and retains:
Please examine the photographs carefully, as they form an integral part of the condition description.
An exceptional item for collectors of:
Nikos Kazantzakis • Greek literature • First publications • Greek literary periodicals • Ion Dragoumis • Modern Greek philology • Cretan history • Greek cultural history
This is not a later reprint, but an authentic contemporary literary periodical from 1910 containing the first printed publication of one of Kazantzakis’s most important early works.
A rare and highly evocative piece of modern Greek literary history, particularly suitable for a serious Kazantzakis collection, a specialist library, or a collection devoted to early 20th-century Greek literature and literary periodicals.
