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I tried to see the life of Eleni Altamouras as the Odyssey of a woman, so I divided the text into 24 parts (Homer's "Odyssey" contains 24 songs - Z.M.’s note). This "Nobody", in the first place, is the response to the Odyssey of a woman, and secondly, to the oblivion that has covered the paintings of Eleni Altamoura, who is still almost embracing feminine creativity, and thirdly, to the fact that the female artist lived disguised as a man for two years in order to study painting in Italy, in the mid-19th century, when only men were admitted to drawing academies. This novel of mine was written in an effort to combine many informative levels, a lot of speculation about what it means being a woman and a female artist, along with the problem I am concerned with, namely the perception of "home" and "history" by women, the burden of their rebellion and its spoiling, but also the heavy fate of death, lamenting and mourning in their lives; or even their coexistence with the ghosts of loved ones, with the problem of "female insanity." The novel has a strict and demanding narrative composition. Let me add that the historical research that I had personally conducted has revealed many new details about Eleni Altamouras’ life.
And two more words. There was another film about Eleni Altamouras before the publication of my novel and a successful theatre production based on my novel, in the form of a monologue (2012). In the catalogue of the abovementioned major exhibition at the Benaki Museum, I am the author of the introductory text about the artist, which I have written entirely in compliance with historical criteria. An excerpt from the novel about her has been included in the curriculum of Modern Literature for the third high school grade and I often visit schools to discuss it with the students. However, the most important thing for me are the reports that the novel "Eleni, or Nobody" has contributed towards the "resurrection" of the case of the tragic female artist and towards its understanding as a model referring to our age too.
- In the past you were actively present in the political life of Greece, you were involved in the resistance against the dictatorship. How would you comment on the high degree of popular discontent mainly due to the economic hardships, to the erosion of democracy and to the spiritual levelling, which seeks to close the public broadcaster ΕRΤ?
- The military dictatorship is a very old story for all who have directly experienced it. Today, in the era of globalization, of the Internet and the dependence on the international markets, the manners of imposition and domination, but also of resistance, have changed. Today we are not dealing with a military dictatorship, as is often heard, but with an extremely authoritarian democracy. The closure of ERT, the meagre way in which it happened in front of us, was the most dangerous assault on democratic institutions in recent years. For me this was a turning point. I immediately signed a protest appeal, along with other writers. Like thousands of others, I went in front of the building of ΕRΤ, I spoke and attended the recording of the last concert of the Greek Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra in the big studio, I spent hours in the courtyard, listening and discussing. I have impressions from some of the demonstrations as well. Never in the crisis years have I seen the people, my friends and supporters so angry. I must also emphasize the very satisfactory level of the protest in the case of ΕRΤ, involving concerts, speeches, songs and more. It was a rather unexpected level bearing in mind how angry the people were. The rest is beyond me.