Andreas Laskaratos

Andreas Laskaratos (Ανδρέας Λασκαράτος, 1811-1901) was a memorable satirical poet and writer from Kefalonia. He was excommunicated by the Greek church because his satire targeted many of the church's eponymous members.

Biography

Andreas Laskaratos was born in Lixouri in 1811, at the time when the Ionian islands were moving from the French to the British as a protectorate. He was considered to be highly spirited by nature, intelligent and glib. He was intensely satyrical and constant in his views, publishing works which contrasted the views of his time. The fact that he did not hesitate to freely express his views by critissizing hypocrisy became the main reason behind his arrest and imprisonment, persecutions, and excommunication by the church.

He lived through the entire process of unification of the Ionian islands with mainland Greece and fought against the beliefs of the radical groups for unconditional surrender of the Ionian islands to Greece. During his persecutions he lived at times in Corfu, Zakynthos, London and nearing the end of his life in Argostoli.

Being brought up in a wealthy family of land-owners, he studied law in Paris, but only practised law when he was in financial need. He was the student of Andreas Kalvos and also met Dionysios Solomos, something which influenced his later course. He worked as a journalist and published poetry but is more well known as a writer of libelli. He was married to Penelope Korgialeniou (Πηνελόπη Κοργιαλένου), who was also from a wealthy family, and bore him two sons and seven daughters.

He published several satyrical newspapers such as Lychnos (Λύχνος) "lamp" critisizing immorality, injustice and hypocrisy. On many occasions he turned against politicians and their incompetence while he also fought against religious prejudices and the corruption of religious authority.

His main works are:

Ta mistiria tis Kefalonias (Τα μυστήρια της Κεφαλονιάς) "The mysteries of Cephalonia"
Idou o anthropos i anthrwpinoi charaktires (Ιδού ο άνθρωπος ή ανθρώπινοι χαρακτήρες) "Ecce homo or human characters"
Poiimata kai anekdota (Ποιήματα και ανέκδοτα) "Poems and anecdotes"
Oi katadromes mou eksaitias tou lichnou (Οι καταδρομές μου εξαιτίας του Λύχνου) "My incursions because of Lychnos"
Apokrisi ston aforismo (Απόκριση στον αφορισμό) "Response to aphorism"
Aftoviografia (Αυτοβιογραφία) "Autobiography"

He died in Argostoli, where he lived after the "pogroms" against him, in 1902, but his work transcends until today. Those who have studied his work have seen that he was a man ahead of his time and everything that he had pedicted and wished for to change have come true.

Anecdotal Incidents

At his birthday, a neighbour in order to make fun of him sent him a basket full of goat's horns with the inscription "For your birthday". Laskaratos replied by sending him a basket full of flowers with the inscription "Whatever one has in plenty gives away".

When he was excommunicated, he asked the bishop to excommunicate the shoes of his children so that he did not have to pay money to replace them when they wore out.

Published works (posthumously or not)

Poiimata (Ποιήματα) "Poems", ed. Φέξης, Athens, 1916
Stochasmoi (Στοχασμοί) "Ponderings", ed. Γανιάρης και Σία (Ganiaris et co.), 1921
Ithi, ethima kai doksasies tis Kefalonias (Ήθη, έθιμα και δοξασίες της Κεφαλλονιάς) "Ways, mores and beliefs of Cephalonia", ed. Ελευθερουδάκης, Athens, 1924
Aftoviogrfafia (Αυτοβιογραφία) "Autobiography", ed. Δημητράκος, Athens, 1927
Ta pathimata kai oi paratiriseis mou stis filakes tis kefalonias (Τα παθήματά μου και οι παρατηρήσεις μου στις φυλακές της Κεφαλλονιάς) "My misfortunes and observations in the jail of Cephalonia", ed. Κοντομάρης και Σία, Athens, 1930
Techni tou dimigorein kai singrafein (Τέχνη του δημηγορείν και συγγράφειν) "Art of declaiming and writing", ed. Κολιατσάδα, Athens, 1954
Poiimata (Ποιήματα), ed. Μαρής, Athens, 1958
Apanta (3 volumes) (Άπαντα) "Omnibus", Athens, 1959
Viografika mou enthimimata (Βιογραφικά μου ενθυμήματα) "My biographical rememberings", Athens, 1966
Idou o anthropos (Ιδού ο άνθρωπος), ed. Πάπυρος, Athens, 1969
Idou o anthropos (Ιδού ο άνθρωπος), ed. Ερμής, 1970
Ena anekdoto poiima (Ένα ανέκδοτο ποίημα) "An unpublished poem", ed. Κείμενα, 1976
Poiimata (Ποιήματα), ed. Μαρής, Athens, 1976
Aftoviografia (Αυτοβιογραφία), ed. Γνώση, Athens, 1983
Idou o anthropos (Ιδού ο άνθρωπος), ed. Νέος σταθμός, Athens, 2001

External links (in Greek)

Parts of the article were based on the content of the website http://www.kefalonitis.com (and are published under permission).