In 1821 it was not only the well-known heroes who went down in history for their action. It was also the invisible warriors, and of course the women, who stood on the side of the Struggle, contributed with their own contribution and largely remained in the shadow of the records regarding what accompanied and defined the Revolution.
The "Eight Sounds for Margarita " is a historical novel, which deals with the real fact of Theodoros Kolokotronis' relationship with the nun Margarita in the last years of his life. A woman who supported the Elder of Moria, against the stereotypes and difficulties of the time.
The story starts from 1793, the probable date of birth of the protagonist, Margarita Velissaropoulou - Kolokotroni in Nonakrida, Achaia, until her death in Athens, in 1870. Through her personal drama - her parents locked her in the monastery at the age of 7 for to avoid marriage with the son of the Turk aga of the region - lives her own resurrection and walks the path of freedom, living near the big man for about 2 decades.
The Magazine spoke with the author Anastasia Efstathiou , about her new novel published by Kaktos and coming to be added to a series of books set in 1821, 200 years after the Revolution. It is noted that the "Old Man of Moria" became a widower in 1820, when his wife Ekaterini Karousos (or Karoutsou) died. Then he threw himself with all his might into the struggle for the liberation of Genus with the second wife of his life coming at the age of 55, at the time he was imprisoned in the monastery of the Prophet Elias in Hydra.
During the four months he was imprisoned in the monastery, he met a nun, Margarita, daughter of Aggelis Velissaris from Halikianika (a mountain village of the former Kalavryta District). Margarita took care of him and Kolokotronis soon bonded with her. When he was freed she threw off the rasas and followed him. Since then she stood by his side and stayed with him until his death.
In fact, when Kolokotronis was now 66 years old (in 1836) he also gave him a son, to whom the Old Man gave the name of his slain son, Panos (killed in the second civil war in 1824). Although he did not put a wreath with Margarita, in his will he recognized Panagiotakis as his genuine child, while he presented him with him publicly.
Undoubtedly, history also has its taboos
Why did you decide to write about the story of the relationship between the "Old Man of Moria" and Margarita?
The role of the writer is to deal with the stories that have not been told. And, as you perceive, what has not been said or written about the great personalities exerts an a priori fascination on both the creator and the reader. Perhaps, on the other hand, I found the right setting to bring to life historical events of that period through the eyes of a woman.
Why was Kolokotronis' relationship with the nun Margarita kept quiet, as you point out in the prologue of your work?
It seems that history, as Kostas Tripolitis calls her in his lyrics, decided to hide her. History may not moralize, but depending on the time, those who regulate what will be said and what will not, moralize, silence or forget events. For years we stayed in the heroic pages and the exploits of great personalities. These monopolized the interest of the Greeks and leavened generations. I think that these silences were done consciously so that the personal lives of the great protagonists would not overshadow their collective selves. Undoubtedly, its history also has its taboos.
Why did they never get married?
Who could answer with confidence? We can guess that he did not marry her for fear of his children who held powerful political positions. His son Gennaios was also prime minister. But a man like Kolokotronis, who was not afraid of the Ottomans, the Viceroys, his political opponents, would he consider the displeasure of his family for his personal life? Th. Kolokotronis may not have married her, but being ahead of his time, he restored her in his will. In a way, he imposed her on his family after his death as his wife and mother of his son.
In the same introductory note, mention that the "leaven" for your story comes from the stories in your particular place of origin. However, why did you choose Oktoiho for your narrative?
I couldn't get enough of the oral testimonies. I felt the threads of the canvas thin. Instead, wearing Margaret's shoes, as an old English proverb says, I chose to write her "memories" in the margins of the church book. Let's not forget that religion was her hideout, home and prison for three decades. Besides, what woman in the middle of the 19th century would attempt to write memoirs and publish them when she already knows her Memoirs of Theodorakis dictated to G. Tertsetis in the house on Lekka Street? Or the memoirs of Fotakos, assistant and friend of Geros, but also the history of Reborn Greece by his assistant, Ambrosios Franzis? Undoubtedly, the symbolic octave helped me as a writing medium.
Your heroine describes the woman of the time. How would you describe both her and the Greek woman of the post-revolutionary period?
Her life has been a trap since the day she was born. However, there is the possibility of escape from a strong character who has carved with the right tools time and faith in herself. She is strong through contrasts:she has a reason without saying it. She is educated without showing it off. She is dignified and patient, something like a breakwater to the explosive character of Kolokotronis. Its existence, as Heidegger would say, is in the world. Therefore, historical time marks its passage through the paths of history. By illuminating the woman Margarita, I illuminate the woman of the time who lives in the shadow of a great man. Just because she is silent does not mean that she does not raise her voice wherever she can and wherever the social context allows. The Greek woman of the post-revolutionary period, like her newly founded country, is looking to find her pace. She still has a long way to go to reach the top, like the women of France who have made leaps in Science and the Arts. The Greek woman is struggling to shake off the mantle of carterity, patience, imposed obscurity, the woman of the house and enter new roles.
What are her similarities with the Greek woman of today?
She is educated, competent, dedicated and supportive. She endures the hardships of war, she is dignified, stubborn and resilient. She takes care of her family, loves her Theodorakis passionately and supports him in all the hardships of life. He probably lived in the wrong era. But if she was someone else, Kolokotronis might not have chosen her to free her from the shackles of monasticism and have her by his side. I am very afraid that the differences with the Greek woman of today are more than the similarities. Let's stick to her desire to be subtly involved in events, inventive, dynamic and take initiatives whenever circumstances allow.
Is the current era an opportunity to redefine the historical role of the Greek woman from the 21st century onwards? Have we done enough in this direction? If not, how could we highlight the role of the Greek woman through historical narratives?
In 2022, the cycle of commemorative events of two centuries by the National Palingesia was closed. There are few references in fiction or in shows and documentaries about the role of women in order to highlight her historical position. References were limited to the "divas" of the time:Bouboulina, Manto Mavrogenous, Souliotisses et al.
It is time to pay tribute to the Greek woman, who played a role in the foreground or in the background. Until now, she has not been credited with what the female miracle has offered implicitly. Perhaps because the Greek Revolution is considered a male affair.
The book is a tribute to the memory of women who were left in the shadow of great men
Let's not forget that she kept the house when the men were fighting, she took care of the elderly parents and the children. She was called to deal with death, orphanhood and loss and above all, to survive in a state that was too late to recognize the struggles of those who were thrown into the fire. There were not a few times when she literally and figuratively felt the violence and calamities of war on her skin. As I mention in the preface, the book is a sanctification to the memory of the women who remained in the shadow of the big men, but they also played their role as children in the creation of the Independent State. Besides, as D. Kambouroglous has very aptly written, "Without her, the male warriors would not have had Greece to liberate".
How would you describe Kolokotronis himself through this relationship?
As strange as it may sound, the Kolokotronis man is tender and kind. He loved, respected and honored the woman. A picture would give a more figurative description:On the inaccessible rugged rock grows a flower called a daisy. This humble flower marks its own spring.
Today, 200 years after the Revolution, in your opinion, how should we as a nation deal with the events of '21? Through which prism of historical memory and reference?
With respect, constant national vigilance and a disposition to reflect on our course in the future. In the invitation to memory, the heroes of the Struggle for our Independence should be a principle and rule of life for us, because they imbue our great national visions with their thoughts. To learn from the mistakes of the tribe and try to be better in a state that these giants of 21 founded with their blood. If nothing else, we must become pilgrims of the saints of our nation. My novel treats the act of '21 as sacred. It is our Great Hour.
Mention that the project is also your personal journey of self-awareness. Because this;
Because many times I identified with my heroine, a woman who was wronged by the circumstances of living in this historical framework hostile to women. For me, as a creator, this inner journey is of particular importance, because in the divided times of economic and social poverty, of the crisis we are living through 2 centuries later, '21 remains our national capital. I look like a tracker for our historical roots, our points of reference, today, more aware than ever before.
Margarita seems not to have been accepted by her daughters-in-law. Does the social context of the time contribute to this?
The "indefinite" woman was generally not respected by the closed society. How much more, the older man's younger partner and second partner for many years. The social context was suffocating and did not allow rights, many freedoms because at its base the society of the time had patriarchal structures. Kolokotronis, however, would protect her in his own way and would at least not allow any comment in front of him.
What was the end of Margarita?
I hope she was blessed to be near her only son Panos, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. A grandmother who would have shared so many memories of the life she lived with her Theodorakis and become the same story. I am sure that when the reader reaches the last pages he will fill in the blanks with his own imagination.
The description of the book
The life of Margarita Velissaropoulou would be interesting if only from the fact that "Marigo" was born a few years before the Revolution of 21 and experienced important events that marked the reconstitution of the Greek nation. But what makes Okto Ichos a shocking novel for Margarita is her meeting and defining relationship with Theodoros Kolokotronis. She was born in Nonakrida, lived near the Old Man of Moria for the last twenty years of his life, participated in his struggles, supported him in the civil war, shared his anguish and bitterness in his infamous trial and subsequent imprisonment, and had a child with him. Based on documented historical events, the author takes us on a journey to 19th century Greece, the Greek countryside of the armatoli, the Hydra of exile, the Nafplio of Kapodistrias and the Athens of Otho and political intrigues.