Aris Alexandrou publishes the “Kivotio” (Crate)

Aris Alexandrou’s “Kivotio” is a fringe work of post-war literature, a text that has many layers and interpretations. It introduced passionate discussions on the relationship between literature, realism, and left-wing ideology. This novel by Alexandrou was written during the dictatorship (1966-1972), and its subject was the ideological dead-end and the discarded dreams. The crusade of the left is presented as empty and meaningless, and according to critic D. Raftopoulos, “Kivotio” was a philosophical invitation to opposition and anti-fight. At the same time, Alexandrou was a great translator of Russian literature, of more than 80 works, especially Dostoevsky and Akhmatova.