• 1 An in-depth presentation of the Greek popular literature between 16^th and 18^th century can be found (...)
• 2 Since the early 90s, academic literary and historical research in Greece has developed an increasin (...)

1Popular literature and popular culture in general have a long and vigorous presence in Modern Greek cultural history. The first phase of Greek popular culture dates back to the first centuries of the Ottoman Occupation, most notably from the 16th until the 18th century. This period is dominated by the so-called “Venetian editions” (”fyllades” in Greek), a body of popular literature that was written, not in the ancient language of the scholars, but in plain Greek (“demotiki”) and that was combining eastern with western influences and also a “low culture” with a “high culture” perspective. These works were being published by Greek publishers living in Venice and were being distributed to the Greek-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire by itinerant merchants. Thus, a popular readership was also formed which, although socially and economically diverse, remained distinguished from the scholars1. As the 18th century handed over to the 19th, gradually Greek popular literature acquired its modern features. After the establishment of the new free Greek state and the organization of the urban center of Athens, in the middle of the 19th century, all the necessary preconditions were created for the introduction of the, mainly French, “roman-feuilleton”. Indeed, popular novel overwhelmed Greek society, but met with opposition from the intellectuals who supported ethnocentric ideas and moral didacticism. Therefore, the first popular novels in Modern Greek were written by simple readers which were divided over between the official national propaganda and the adventurous and sensationalist spirit of the “roman-feuilleton”2.

• 3 For further information on the changes in Greek popular literature of the late 19th century: Moulla (...)

2By the end of the 19th century, the “physical space” of popular culture, namely the press, was developed and organized, thus the area of popular literature was improved. The first professional writers, not only of popular fiction, but also in general, were people of the press, mainly journalists. The trending genre of that time was “the mystery novel”, which became famous among the inhabitants of Athens, but also among the Greek-speaking residents of the urban centers of Smyrna and Istanbul. In such a way, Greek popular literature organized and became independent from the “high” literature of the intellectuals3.

• 4 For further information on “bandit novel”: Christos Dermentzopoulos, The bandit novel in Greece: My (...)

3These characteristics of popular literature were bequeathed into the 20th century, especially in the genre of the “bandit novel” featuring idealized real and imaginary bandits of Greek countryside. During the period from 1900 to 1920, when “bandit novel” was flourishing, the network of production, distribution and consumption of popular literature became more organized at an even greater extent: many new publishing companies appeared, but they proved to be short-lived, professional writers engaged exclusively with this kind of fiction and, last but not least, Athens became the indisputable center of publishing activity4.

• 5 On popular “family magazines” in Greece, their identity and history, see: Dimitris Chanos, The Popu (...)
• 6 Further information on Greek crime fiction and especially the two main crime fiction popular magazi (...)

4In parallel with the “bandit novel”, during the first decades of 20th century, other genres of popular literature made their appearance, such as crime fiction and sentimental novel. These new genres thrived in the new type of family magazines, released by the major publishers of the time5. Our interest focuses more on the genre of crime fiction, because it had a multifarious impact on the popular literature for children and teenagers during 50s and 60s. Crime fiction achieved great commercial success, notably via magazines specialized on this genre; in these magazines, for the first time, we can clearly recognize the dominant influence of American popular culture. In fact, the most successful magazine was called Mask (first released in 1935), a title most likely inspired by the classic American pulp magazine Black Mask6.

• 7 Some of the most considerable studies and articles about Greek literature for children and teenager (...)

6So, when we come to investigate Greek popular literature for children and teenagers during the 50s and the 60s, we should keep in mind both the long and idiosyncratic course of Greek popular culture and the specific social and political circumstances of those decades too. We must also take account of the historical progress of the Greek literature for children and teenagers. An initial interest in the development of literature oriented excursively to children and teenagers was grown during the 19th century, when some litterateurs wrote poems, tales and entire novels in this aspect and also by the release of some short-lived children magazines. But the strongest boost to children’s literature was given in connection with the popular one, when some very famous works became part of children’s literature canon, for example the novels of Jules Verne. After the second half of the 20th century, literature for children and young adults took two opposite directions: high literature which was promoted by people of the educational system, especially teachers and had fundamentally instructive purpose and popular literature, which will be presented below7.

• 8 The two main researchers of Greek popular culture, Dimitris Chanos and Kiriakos Kassis had included (...)

7First of all, the necessary precondition for the development of popular literature especially for children and teenagers is the maximum growth of the network of popular literature in general. Indeed, since the late 40s, Greek popular literature was fully developed and organized. After taking under consideration the available lists and archives of writers, publishers and illustrators, we came to huge numbers: above one hundred publishers, above eighty writers and more or less twenty illustrators were working in the field of popular publications. It is important to point out that all these people, although they were professionals, weren’t involved in this business with the same frequency and success. Most of them had a limited, transient and short presence and only a few of them had undoubtedly a leading role and of course a huge impact on the others8.

• 9 Further information on the “gentrification” of the Greek popular literature for children and teenag (...)
• 10 In the second volume of his study The Greek Popular Culture, Dimitris Chanos gives some biographica (...)

8The main consequence of such great prosperity of the popular press was the diverse “genrification” of the magazines and booklets oriented to children and teenagers, namely many and various genres according to the themes of the narrations: stories that fictionalize the historical past, either the most recent one, for example the guerilla resistance to the German occupation, or the distant one, for example the Greek Revolution of 1821; adventures that take place in the jungle, strongly influenced by Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan of The Apes; “western” stories that take place in the mythologized “Wild West”; “sport fiction” adventures, that blend football matches and crime or even spy mysteries; also science fiction magazines, comic books, booklets with fairytales and various publications starring “Karagiozis”, the central character in the Greek “Theater of shadows”, (a Greek version of Mr. Punch), whose roots are deep into the eastern tradition9. The most common form in which these stories of various thematic directions were being released, was series of booklets with a few pages made by cheap newsprint paper. Publishing a series of stories for children and teenagers in popular magazines or newspapers was a relatively rare practice. However, the vast majority of the writers were, as expected, mainly journalists with a career in the Athenian press. Most of them didn’t use their real name but a nickname, probably because they wanted to completely separate their professional careers from the slurring writing of popular literature. In many situations, Greek writers used foreign names, fictitious or real ones, mostly of American writers who were famous even in the Greek readership, because by this choice their creations would be accepted and more successful. As we can easily understand the policy of intellectual property rights wasn’t developed at all10.

• 11 This information about Little Hero was based mainly on: a. a selection of some issues of the magazi (...)

9All the above suggest that Greek popular literature for children and teenagers was highly influenced by the American popular culture, not only in terms of themes and genres, but also with regard to the writing attitude and the form of the publications. If we examine the most famous titles, American influence will become even more noticeable. The magazine with the bigger commercial success and impact was entitled Little Hero. Its protagonist is a teenager, named Giorgos Thalassis (his last name probably refers to the word thalassa, the sea, a natural element that has turned into a symbol for the Modern Greek cultural identity.) Giorgos, who takes part in the guerilla resistance against the German Occupation, although he is a young man, gifted with not only great bravery, but also with the powers of a superhero and the knowledge of an almost wise man. He knows how to drive all kinds of cars, especially the military ones and also to pilot all kinds of aircrafts; he knows Japanese martial arts and he can speak English, German and many other languages fluently. In addition, the guerilla group in which he belongs, an organization managed by the British Allies, has equipped him with modern, even futuristic, weapons and various devices, such as a special key that open all locks. During the 798 issues of the long-lived series (from 1952 to 1967), although Giorgos kills countless enemies, not only Germans, but also Turks, Bulgarians, namely troops and spies of Greece’s traditional national enemies, he remains strongly against violence, because his strong moral and religious beliefs drives him to consider war violence as a necessary evil of the struggle for freedom. Little Hero was written by Stelios Anemodouras (1917 – 2000), the most significant writer and publisher of popular literature for children and adults during 50s and 60s11.

• 12 The information about Gkaour Tarzan was mainly based on: a. a selection of nine issues of the magaz (...)

10Another important series of booklets, called Ckaour Tarzan, as its title indicates, is related to one of the many Greek adaptations of E. R. Burroughs Tarzan. Certainly, it is more accurate to characterize this series as a remake of the original material, a readjustment to the conditions and mindset of the Greek urban society of the 50s. The writer of the series, Nikos Routsos (1904 – 1984), has put next to the known British Tarzan, a Greek version of him, another superhero who also lives in the jungle and who had been also raised by monkeys, but his origins are Greek and his name is Gkaour (a name that resembles to the degrading word that the Ottomans used against Greeks: gkiaouris i.e. faithless). The relations between Gkaour and Tarzan are contradictory, sometimes they are friends and some other wild competitors. Routsos’ Tarzan is a tired, complicated man full of doubts, in contrary with Gkaour who is strong, brave and inspired by high moral values. The dipole of the two protagonists is framed by many other characters, human, animalistic and monstrous, a whole fantastic world, with many elements of the horror genre, conceived by Nikos Routsos, a representative creator of popular culture. Routsos was not only writer of popular stories, but also a lyricist of some of the most iconic Greek popular songs12.

• 13 More information on Little Sheriff and Potis Stratikis: Routsos etc., 2008, 213. Chanos, Vol. 2, 20 (...)

11The third most successful and influential magazine was Little Sheriff, created by Potis Stratikis (b. 1926). Of course, Little Sheriff belongs to the western genre and its stories take place in the Wild West, but the most original and interesting - we would say a native - point is that the protagonist, the teenager Jim Adams, has Greek origins and his real name is Dimitris Adamopoulos. In particular, Jim Adams originates from Mani, a region in Greece famous for the free spirit and the heroism of its inhabitants13.

• 14 On the comic heroes in popular literature for children and teenagers, see: Meni Kanatsouli, “Humoro (...)

12Most central characters of these series are teenagers or young adults, as writers wanted to ensure that minor readers can identify with them. These young men are always accompanied by female characters of the same age, which are clearly more passive and sensitive. However, when it is required by the plot, they transform into dynamic figures who take part in the action. This ambiguous treatment that writers show towards their heroines is probably due to the efforts of the latter to satisfy the female minor readers. Of course the couple is connected by an innocent, platonic love. But this primary requirement of older children’s literature for moralization leaves Nikos Routsos almost unaffected, as in Gkaour Tarzan, and also in his other work, we can find clear sexual allusions. Along with the main couple, also some stable comic characters appear, carrying a humorous tone that comes in contrary with the serious, dynamic and sometimes tragic side of the protagonists. Especially, through some specific characteristics of these comic heroes, such as gluttony, foolishness or even physical deformity, we are able to realize the deep and multivarious past of Greek popular literature and culture in general14. Lastly, in stark contrast to the positive heroes, the “bad” characters are presented as violent, inhuman, immoral and often ugly and deformed. A key element to negative characters’ personality is their national or racial identity: usually in Little Hero the “bad guys” are German soldiers, in Gkaour Tarzan tribal chiefs or supernatural creatures of the jungle, while in Little Sheriff the classic figures of bandits sometimes are of Indian origin.

• 15 On the importation of pop music in general, mainly rock music in Greece during the 50s and the 60s, (...)

13As it was expected, this flourishing of the popular magazines for children and teenagers provoked a powerful backlash of censorship driven not only by the “usual suspects”, namely the family, the school and the Church, but also by the Left political powers who considered these magazines as part of the American propaganda. So, from the first years of the 50s, as an alternative to the pulp magazines, “high” children’s literature appeared, written mainly by women and often directly related to educational practice. Basic principles were didacticism, attention to the specific nature of juvenile psychology and the sentient influence of traditional Greek culture, e.g. fairytales. But this effort has bore its fruit after the 70s, so until then, popular literature gained the preference of the young readers. Besides, these magazines were part of a thriving and multilateral popular culture, which also included cinema and music. Of course both cinema and music during the 50s and the 60s in Greece came under the solid influence of American popular culture; the invasion of rock and roll and jazz, generally of American dance music is a typical example for the former and the introduction of new film genres such as romantic comedy and film noir is a typical example for the latter15. Under these special circumstances, the rare situation where the Church and the Left had a similar negative approach towards American influenced popular culture is fully understood.

• 16 Various, Zontanoi sto Kittaro, Greece 1971; compilation of three 7’’ vinyl: Zodiac ‎– 88023, Zodiac (...)

Cover of an important Greek rock music collection of 1971, depicting scenery of Gkaour Tarzan16

• 17 The theoretical frame of this project is mainly based on: Paul Thompson, The Voice Of The Past, Ora (...)

14The most difficult part of the research concerns the identity of the readers. The first obstacle to the detection of the readership of these magazines is the mediation of many years between the period of the reading consumption until our days and the second one the lack of bibliographical and other information on the circulation of the magazines, especially in areas outside Athens. Therefore, in order to acquire some more solid information for the reading habits, we are running a project of interviewing old readers of popular magazines of the 50s and the 60s, who nowadays are at the age of 55 to 65 years old. More particularly, we have already conducted eight in-depth interviews: four of them were held in Athens, the capital city of Greece and the other four in Volos, a provincial town of about 150.000 habitants. Also, five of the interviewees are men, while three of them women. The analysis of this rich material, which can be considered as part of the undiscovered oral history of Greek popular press of the 50s and the 60s17, certainly overcomes the limits of this specific article, whereas a reference to the main points can me made here.

• 18 The decline of indigenous Greek popular literature during the end of the 60s has not yet been the s (...)

16As many studies suggest, 60s was the last flourishing period of indigenous popular culture in Greece. Indeed, from early 70s onwards, American and Italian science fiction, superheroic and war comics which of course already were part of the pulp magazines content, prevailed over the Greek creations, as the publishers preferred them because they had lower cost. New publishing companies appeared which were familiar with the new technologies, but also synchronized to the new needs of the young readers18. But, although this interpretation for the decline of popular magazines seems the most reasonable and historically documented, even nowadays to some extent it is commonly believed that these magazines, for example Little Hero, were censored by military dictatorship regime imposed on Greece in 1967. This interpretation is the result of journalists and writers, most of them Leftists, which during the 80s saw popular literature of the 50s and 60s in the light of their own personal nostalgia for their childhood and adolescence. Generally, the interest in popular literature of the 50s and 60s still today develops within a culture of nostalgia for the “good old past”. Although this perspective has reached to some conclusions, should be replaced by a more spherical and complete one, which will take into account the historical, social and economic components of the phenomenon of popular literature. The present study constitutes an attempt of such an approach.