Dimitris N. Maronitis

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ

Dimitris N. Maronitis (D. N. Maronitis, Thessaloniki, April 22, 1929 – Athens, July 12, 2016), born in Thessaloniki on April 22, 1929, was a prominent figure in Greek classical philology, a prolific translator, and an influential critic of modern Greek literature. His academic journey began at the Experimental School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where he completed his primary education (1939–1947). He then continued his studies at the Faculty of Philosophy of Aristotle University, where he studied classical philology (1947–1951). During his student years, Maronitis interacted with and was guided by some of the most important intellectuals of his time, such as N. Andriotis, I. Th. Kakridis, A. Vakalopoulos, and others. His professors and their intellectual rigor left a lasting imprint on his later academic career.

Early Career and Postgraduate Studies

After completing his military service (1952–1954), Maronitis began working as a teaching assistant at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, initially under the guidance of his esteemed professor, I. Th. Kakridis (1955–1962). At the same time, he taught classical literature at the French De La Salle School and the German School of Thessaloniki. His thirst for further academic development led him to Germany, where he studied with a scholarship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation at the University of Mainz (1958–1960). In Mainz, he participated in advanced seminars in classical philology, under the tutelage of distinguished professors such as Walter Marg, Andreas Tierfelder, and Erich Reitzenstein. His doctoral research led to the award of his PhD in 1962 from Aristotle University, solidifying his specialization in ancient Greek philology.

Political Action and Arrests During the Dictatorship

Maronitis’ career was significantly shaped by the political climate in Greece, particularly the military dictatorship that came to power in 1967. As a strong critic of the dictatorship, Maronitis was dismissed from his position at Aristotle University in January 1968, along with other professors, due to his opposition to the regime. His political activism led to multiple arrests, the first of which occurred in 1969, when he was detained by the Thessaloniki Security Police. In 1971, he was arrested and imprisoned in Korydallos prison, and in 1973, he was held in the EAT-ESA detention center for eight months.

During these years of political turmoil, Maronitis was not only a victim of political oppression but also a symbol of resistance for intellectuals who opposed the suppression of free thought and academic freedom by the dictatorship.

Academic and Administrative Contributions after the Dictatorship

After the fall of the dictatorship, Maronitis returned to academia and public life with renewed enthusiasm. He was appointed special advisor to the Ministry of Education for higher education issues from 1974 to 1976. In November 1974, he returned to academia at Aristotle University, where in 1975 he was promoted to lecturer and in 1979 was elected professor. His academic work gained international recognition, and he taught as a visiting professor at universities in Germany, Austria, Cyprus, and the United States.

Maronitis also played a significant role in many influential Greek cultural and academic organizations. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Modern Greek Studies (Manolis Triantafyllidis Foundation) from 1979 to 1995 and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Greek Literary and Artistic Institute (M.I.E.T.) from 1985 to 1997. He also held important administrative positions at Aristotle University, such as President of the Department of Philology (1986–1987), Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy (1978–1979, 1991–1994), and President of the Department of Journalism and Media (1991–1994).

Additionally, Maronitis served as the Artistic Director of the Northern Greece Theatre from 1989 to 1990, contributing significantly to the cultural life of the region.

Leadership in Language and Literature

Maronitis' career also focused on the development and preservation of the Greek language and culture. From 1994 to 2011, he served as President and General Director of the Centre for the Greek Language, where he oversaw projects aimed at preserving Greece’s linguistic heritage. He was also the scientific coordinator of the research program "Intraglossic Translation," an innovative initiative for the translation of classical texts into Modern Greek.

His leadership extended to Odyssey Studies, where he served as President of the Centre for Odyssey Studies from 2003 to 2011. He also played a key role in the development of secondary education programs, particularly in classical studies, as coordinator and scientific supervisor of the Classical Studies and Ancient Greek Language program in Secondary Education from 2001 to 2014.

Awards and Recognitions

Dimitris Maronitis’ literary and academic work received numerous distinctions. In 1981, he was awarded the First Prize for Criticism-Essay for his analysis The Terms of Lyricism in Odysseus Elytis, an important work on the famous Greek poet. His contribution to Greek literature and culture was further recognized in 2003, when he was honored by the President of the Republic with the Phoenix Medal for his contributions to Greek letters. In 2011, he was awarded the State Prize for the Translation of Ancient Greek Literature into Modern Greek for his translation of Homer’s Iliad, a prize that affirmed his dedication to the tradition of classical literature.

In 2014, the online magazine The Reader recognized his work and comprehensive contribution, highlighting his lasting influence on Greek philology, literary criticism, and translation.

Death and Legacy

Dimitris Maronitis passed away on July 12, 2016, in Athens, leaving behind a rich legacy in the fields of classical philology, modern Greek literature, and education. His work, particularly his translations of ancient Greek texts and his critical analysis of modern Greek literature, continues to influence academics, students, and readers.

His contributions to the development of higher education in Greece, his resistance to political oppression, and his leadership in promoting the preservation and understanding of the Greek language remain defining aspects of his enduring legacy.

The Literary Journey of Maronitis in Classical Philology: Studies on Herodotus and Homer

20th-century classical philology owes much of its development to the Greek literary figure and philologist, Ioannis Maronitis, one of the most distinguished scholars of the works of Herodotus and Homer. Through his doctoral dissertation, translations, and interpretative studies, Maronitis made significant contributions to the understanding of ancient Greek language and to the connection between classical culture and contemporary thought.

The Doctoral Dissertation on Herodotus In 1962, Maronitis published his doctoral dissertation on Herodotus, focusing on the linguistic and stylistic analysis of the works of the historian from Halicarnassus. In this analysis, he examined the structure of Herodotus' language, identifying a distinct "Herodotean pattern" in the arrangement of words within sentences. This transcendent structure, which appears in early ancient Greek prose, enriches Herodotus' language, making it complex and multifaceted. Maronitis analyzed the strong rhetoric in Herodotus' speech, highlighting the relationship between written and spoken language, a theme he would later develop systematically in his critical career.

The Publication of the First Book of Herodotus In 1964, Maronitis released a new edition of the first book of Herodotus (Clio), which included a comprehensive introduction and commentary, providing an analytical approach to Herodotus' narrative. The introduction, covering about 130 densely printed pages, explored the general features of Herodotus' work, his sources, and his methodology. Maronitis emphasized the dual nature of the work, combining literary narration with historical recording. His effort to highlight Herodotus not only as a historian but also as a philosopher is one of his most important contributions to philological research.

The 1981 Volume: Anthology and Interpretation In 1981, Maronitis presented a volume titled Herodotus, which was awarded the first prize at the 1982 Leipzig International Book Fair. The volume included an anthology of seven novellas and three unpublished works by Herodotus, accompanied by translations and footnotes. In his analysis, Maronitis focused on anthropological themes such as the pathology of love and power, the intersection of divine and human justice, and the comparison between the closed world of Asia and the rational world of Europe. Through this anthropological approach, Herodotus is revealed not only as a historian but also as a thinker on human nature.

Homer and the Odyssey In 1973, Maronitis published his most well-known work on the Odyssey, with the central theme of Odysseus' search and return. This study, written during the politically tense period of the dictatorship, highlights the opposing lines of the work: the optimistic line of the return and the pessimistic line of the search. In his analysis, Maronitis identifies two main levels in Odysseus' journey: the external and the internal. The work, written in Demotic Greek, not only analyzes international literature on the Odyssey but also combines scientific precision with reading pleasure, offering a unique interpretation of the text.

The "Homeric Megathemes" and Enhanced Interpretation In 1999, Maronitis published Homeric Megathemes, a summary of his studies on the two great Homeric epics. In the second edition of the work, released in 2005, four additional essays were included, examining the transformations of the themes and the evolution of the Homeric myth. Maronitis analyzes the dialectical relationships that sustain the two epics, emphasizing war, speech, and return as the main "megathemes." His method of interpretation combines mythological, poetic, and anthropological analysis, providing a multidimensional approach to Homeric poetry.

Translational Work of: A Bridge Between Ancient and Modern Language

Dimitris Maronitis, recognized for his significant contribution to the art of translation, played a pivotal role in shaping the modern Greek translation tradition, overcoming biases that confine scholars to merely their field of study. In his case, the study of ancient Greek literature was combined with a deep love for the modern Greek language and its need to incorporate ancient Greek sources into the contemporary cultural framework. His work, studied and documented, remains an integral part of the Greek philological tradition.

The Concept of "Intralingual Translation"

Maronitis made a decisive contribution to the development of the concept of "intralingual translation," a term he himself coined. This term refers to the attempt to translate ancient Greek texts into modern Greek, not merely as a process of reproducing the original words but as an approach that combines the ancient content with the needs of the modern language and culture. This translation is not limited to a simple word-for-word transfer; rather, it seeks to highlight the value of the ancient text for the modern reader through the renewal of language.

The Educational and Public Significance of Translation

Maronitis' contribution to the art of translation has strong ties to the educational and public spheres. He saw translation as an act that, beyond its philological value, also has an educational dimension. In the context of schools, public spaces, and broader education, the translation of ancient texts serves as a bridge between the past and the present, strengthening cultural continuity and understanding of timeless values.

Translation of the Odyssey: The Path of Innovation

Perhaps the most significant moment in Maronitis' translational work is his translation of the Odyssey. In 1977, Maronitis raised the issue of creating a new translation of the Odyssey that would be adapted to the modern school environment and contemporary poetic language. With modern language and poetry as his model, his translation of this epic work sought to "move from the past to the present," avoiding the regression to the past that characterizes many traditional translations.

Maronitis' translation of the Odyssey is characterized by the use of free verse, which avoids the constraints of the traditional fifteen-syllable meter. The choice of free verse was a conscious effort to convey the poetic dimension of the text without sacrificing the narrative quality of the work. This translation combines the poetic tone of the ancient text with the needs of the modern reader, achieving a strong communication with the audience.

The Poetic Dimension of Translation

Maronitis' translational process is not confined to strict philological accuracy. On the contrary, he seeks to recreate the work in modern Greek, maintaining the poetic sensibility while incorporating contemporary literary elements. In the case of the Odyssey, the translation was not restricted to a standardized rhythm; instead, it drew from the dynamic of the work, using free and irregular verses that provide greater freedom to the flow of the narrative.

Contribution to the Translational Repertoire

However, Maronitis' work is not limited to the Odyssey. Throughout his translational career, he translated numerous other ancient Greek works, including selected works of Hesiod. Maronitis' translation of Hesiod’s works highlights the need to integrate ancient Greek literature into a modern, readable language that allows readers to understand not only the cultural heritage but also the modern needs and challenges of the world.

Through his translational work, Dimitris Maronitis managed to open new paths in the translation of ancient Greek texts, bridging the past with the present and offering readers a work that is both faithful to the original and creatively renewed. His approach to translation, with respect for the ancient text and a sense of the need for modernization, makes his work an inseparable part of contemporary Greek philology and literature.

The Similes

In 2003, after completing the translation of the Odyssey, the 24 Odyssean similes were published in a handmade paper edition with a limited number of copies. This translation project demonstrates Maronitis' persistence in highlighting the ultimate goal of the epic, the auditory/reading pleasure, mediated by imagery. As a visual academic once wrote about this work, the 24 translated similes of Homer's Odyssey are "images of speech, unpainted." The reader is invited to enjoy either the combination of distant and unfamiliar situations with the familiar and everyday world of Homer, or the opposite: the comparison of familiar everyday moments with the otherworldly and alien. The cohesive thread of the 24 similes is Hermes: in the first simile of the volume, he flies across the sea like a seagull, snatching fish from the wild depths of the untended sea, to deliver the divine command of freeing Odysseus to Calypso, while in the last, the 24th simile, he drags the souls of the suitors through dark, moldy paths, like bats, screeching as they fly into the depths of a cave.

In 2012, translated texts of the Odyssey were framed by an edition with artistic representations by the painter Dimosthenis Kokkinidis. In the same year, after completing the translation of the Iliad, the 24 Odyssean similes found their competitive counterparts in the 24+2 of the Iliad. As stated in the Preface of the edition (p. 11), the similes no longer refer to the total stock of the epic, as was the case with the Odyssey, but focus "on twin combat episodes (the killing of Patroclus by Hector and the killing of Hector by Achilles), which regulate the morality of the Iliadic war in three successive stages: murderous animosity, sorrowful pathos, and mutual sympathy. The reader is invited, guided by the 24+2 similes, to recognize firsthand the tension between narrative sensation and visual illusion."

In 2016, the Postscript of the 24 Odyssean similes was reissued under the title "On Content," becoming the last booklet published while Maronitis was alive.

Iliad

The translation of the Iliad was initially published in two separate volumes (A: 2009) and (B: 2010), and later, in 2012, in a single volume, which also included the "Catalogue of Ships" from the second Iliadic rhapsody (lines 494-877), which was absent from the first. In his Afterword, among other things, Maronitis discusses his translation principles and the type of "hypotheses," characterizing the Iliad as an epic "of contact": it forces the translator to rely on the sense of touch, which captivates all other senses without canceling them, in contrast to the Odyssey, which is an epic of hearing. This difference, he writes, is due to the inherently dramatic character of the Iliad and its present tense approach, in contrast to the narrative character and past-tense orientation of the Odyssey. These differences are reflected in the narrative structure of the two epics. The narration in the Iliad is "invasive" (entering from the past into the present, remaining essentially uncompleted and suspended in an account), in contrast to the Odyssean narration, which is mainly "retrospective" and "explanatory."

In interviews, Maronitis mentioned that he aimed for two things in the translation of the Iliad. First, to maintain humility and selflessness: to withdraw the translator's presence as much as possible, allowing the translation itself to emerge, without shouting "I did this" as if it happened on its own, gradually taking shape. Rather, he wanted a retreat of the translator before the translated text. Secondly, he sought to make the labor of translation invisible in the final result: to ease the burden of the translator’s effort so that the focus would fall on the translated text. Critics, on the other hand, have noted that the "translational language is organized incessantly as a difficult composition of dialectical oppositions between the familiar and the stylistically marked, the calculated immediacy and the formalistic restriction." They also mention that the translation, adopting the poetic vocabulary and rhythm of classical post-Palamas and post-war modern Greek literature, adapts to our time, without, however, yielding to the superficial and volatile Zeitgeist or the easy "modernization" seen in many contemporary foreign translations.

The 24 rhapsodies of the translated Iliad were presented in a staged version by 24 leading actresses at the National Theatre from 14/10/2010 to 31/03/2011, with a conclusion by D. N. Maronitis (5/04/2011). Also, director Stathis Livathinos adapted Maronitis' translated Iliad for the theater, first from June 4 to 8, 2013, as part of the Athens Festival, and later in cities across Greece and abroad.

Tragedy

From tragedy, Maronitis published the translation of Oedipus at Colonus in 2004. This translation, before publication, covered the theatrical needs of the drama's performance by the Art Theatre "Karolos Koun" at the Epidaurus Festival in the summer of 2002, directed by the unforgettable actor and director, Mimis Kougioumtzis. Furthermore, three interpretive essays on this tragedy were hosted in the 2014 volume "Epic and Drama," after being presented at international conferences and lectures.

In 2012, the translated Ajax was published, which was performed in the summer of 2015 at Epidaurus, directed by Vangelis Theodoropoulos. However, translated parts of Ajax had been published earlier, in 1986, with introductory statements defending the translation of the tragedy both in positive and negative terms.

In 2015, the Sophoclean Antigone was published. It was also performed at Epidaurus in the summer of 2016, directed by Stathis Livathinos.

For Intralingual Translation

Dimitris Maronitis' views on the value of intralingual translation were expressed in his articles, lectures, and presentations at seminars and conferences, much of which was intended for the educational world.

In 1964, he addressed the misunderstandings that arose from the introduction of teaching ancient Greek through translation in high schools (with the "1964 reform"), suggesting specific methods for the more qualitatively effective teaching of the classics through translation, taking into account the psychological and cognitive abilities of younger students.

In 1976, analyzing two types of projection and reception of classical literature in education, the dogmatic and the historical, he concluded that special conditions in high school classes necessitated the teaching of ancient Greek literature only through translation: the organization of a rational, balanced, and democratic educational program, covering all key areas of the young student's education, made it necessary to provide humanistic education through suitably translated texts.

In 1992, in a published speech, he placed his translation principles for the Odyssey beyond the dilemma of philological and literary translation, drawing from the treasure of personal modern Greek poetry (Erotokritos, Erofili, Solomos, Kalvos), sometimes from Cavafy and Seferis, and other times from younger poets. With these choices, he stated that he wanted the translated language to acquire a depth similar to that of the original; however, the signals of this linguistic perspective should not continuously draw the translation backward but should integrate and merge with our contemporary poetic idiom.

In 1993, republishing columns from the newspaper To Vima, he introduced the hybrid character of school translations. He also advocated for the abolition of the written form of translation as the only correct version, which relied on memorization and copying, and proposed, with three examples from the prologues of ancient Greek historiography, its oral, alternative, and temporary character as an effort.

Essay Writing and Articles: The Fear of Freedom

In February 1971, Maronitis presented a volume that stands out for its meticulous republication of other texts, interwoven with his personal writing and thoughts. In the Introduction, he puts forth his timeless and always relevant thoughts on a "political" humanism – one without illusions or messianic promises, the kind that seeks active engagement. "Not in the form of charity or tolerance," he writes, "but as a trial and practical contribution to the construction of a model of a more humanized society."

Humanism, as seen by Maronitis, emerges through three themes, which structure the body of the book:

Language and Humanism: This section features texts by Alexandros Delmouzos, Manolis Triantafyllidis, and Ludwig von Bertalanffy, each shedding light on language as a tool for shaping humanistic values.

Education and Humanism: From Plato to Werner Jaeger, the texts highlight education as the pillar of the humanistic edifice, drawing from the timeless approaches to human spirit and values.

History and Humanism: From Thucydides' denunciations of civil wars to E. R. Dodds and his dialectic of the "fear of freedom," human history seems to move in a perpetual trajectory of trial, where freedom always appears doubtful and unstable.

Of course, Maronitis pays the price for these thoughts. As his work is considered "anti-government," he is arrested and ends up in the cells of the EAT-ESA for the second time, while his work is included in the 1971 junta's blacklist.

Columns and Cultural Resistance

From 1971 to 2016, Maronitis wrote, with unwavering persistence, for 47 years, columns for the newspaper To Vima. These small texts amount to around 1,500, and their span could fill countless volumes. From the beginning of the dictatorship to the restoration of democracy, his columns combined cultural exploration with political resistance.

With titles such as "Anemoskala" and "Simadoures," Maronitis sought to document the resistance to the regime, with writings concerning literature, politics, language, and education. At the center was always "freedom" – that difficult concept that is sometimes earned, and at other times, its trace is lost in daily life.

Through "Plin kai Syn" and "Imerodromio," Maronitis searches for the continuous renewal of discourse, that discourse which reveals our mistakes and exposes our dead ends. Yet, despite the difficulties, the strength of his writing remains tireless, casting light on the dark corners of history and society.

There may not be an "Anemoskala" for everyone, but Maronitis' work remains a beacon, a spiritual map for those who persist in questioning and creating, without fear and without hesitation.