A GIRL GROWS UP IN THE PYRGOS
Book presentation, Foulis Avgerinou-Sakellariou
Anna Karamanou
former MEP, PhD in Political Science & Public Administration, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (EKPA)
Tennis Club of Chalandri, June 7, 2022
I feel great joy and honor to participate in the presentation of my dear friend Foulis Avgerinou’s book. It is a literary biography that offers us, through the innocent eyes of a little girl, valuable insights into the political, economic, and social climate in Pyrgos and Greece in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Reading the book was a pleasant experience for me, as it took me back to my own adolescence in Pyrgos, filled with a mix of good and less favorable memories.
The book captures your curiosity and interest from the very first pages, compelling you to read until the end. You are drawn in by the purity and truths of tender childhood, particularly between the ages of 6 and 10, through the life of Chrysaavgoula during her first four years of elementary school. In this case, it is the author herself who prefers the literary form of third-person narration, presumably because it also incorporates an element of fiction. (Personally, I prefer the first-person perspective, as it adds immediacy, credibility, empathy, and allows for easier identification between the reader and the narrator. However, there are many different theories on this.)
From the very beginning, Chrysaavgoula introduces her parents! I can confirm that they are exactly as she describes: elegant and well-suited. They were one of the most beautiful couples in Pyrgos, and I knew them personally. Mom Loukia was the epitome of elegance and delicate, angelic beauty. Dad Nakis, the lovable lawyer, was a noble figure and a popular, honest politician, as my father used to say, who was both a voter and a fervent supporter of his. Family and relatives, grandmothers, aunts, and uncles, as well as friendships, were at the center of the little girl’s attention, love, and interest. They coexist in a middle-class environment where the role of family and religion is prominent.
The book provides many elements that reveal the culture, the state of the economy, and the social climate of the post-civil war state. The little girl is puzzled and feels strange seeing the AVEROFF prison and the armed guards patrolling the rooftop. As she says, it seems to her like a haunted castle of an evil giant that forcibly confines good and innocent people, and with her childish mind, she questions the correctional system and whether the fear of punishment can prevent people from committing bad deeds. A very good question!
The description of the school and the student environment is very vivid. The first-grade classroom is very small, with many children crammed together like sardines, three to a wooden desk, a blackboard where one writes with chalk, the teacher’s desk and chair. Very few children wear the mandatory school smock, as most parents cannot afford them. As her mother explained, “There is great poverty in our city, as well as throughout Greece, and many families lack even the basics, my little one.” Cleanliness, as a value, is emphasized daily by the teacher. Children are expected to come to school clean, especially their nails and ears, and in clean clothes. When they are clean and well-prepared, they receive a perfect score of 10 with an accent; however, when they are dirty and lively (disobedient?), especially some boys who seem poor and neglected to Chryssavgoula, then the holy rod comes down! This indicates the discrimination based on economic status and social background that was prevalent at that time in the society of Pyrgos.
School life is enriched with events, celebrations, songs, poetry recitals, catechism, outings, and dances, which Chryssavgoula particularly enjoys, as well as with childhood illnesses like dangerous scarlet fever, mumps, measles, and school vaccinations. In the wider environment of Pyrgos, there are carnival dances for children, bal d’enfants, as well as for adults at the Apollo Theater, an architectural masterpiece by Tsiller and a source of pride for the residents of Pyrgos. Vacations in Lala, as well as swimming in Alkyona and Agios Andreas, were particularly valued activities for relaxation and recreation. During these times, the first stirrings of love began for the little girl, along with teasing from the boys. The carnival in Patras, the chocolate war, and the costumes hold a special place in Chryssavgoula’s memory.
All of this, of course, pertains to the middle and upper class of Pyrgos, within the context of the strict rules of gendered double morality. Young men at the time would seek permission from the girl’s father or brother to dance with her. The values of modernity concerning self-determination and individual rights had not yet reached Greece, nor had the struggles of women for equal rights, autonomy, and gender justice.
Women lived under the absolute authority of their fathers and the male members of their families. Marriage and children were considered the sacred destiny! Young Chrysa was fully assimilated into these values. It goes without saying! The unmarried sister of her father lived with them, as did her grandmother, while her other aunt, who had married Uncle Lakis, unfortunately had no children. This “unfortunately” is repeated many times and reflects the perceptions of the time regarding what constitutes happiness or unhappiness for women. The so-called old maids and childless women were regarded as extremely unfortunate and worthy of pity, as they had not fulfilled their earthly destiny! The social pressure was agonizing. Chrysa’s mother resigned from her job to dedicate herself to her husband and assist his political advancement, despite being educated herself. This was the norm at that time. Career and ambition were almost forbidden for women. The only profession considered suitable for educated women until around the 1950s was that of a teacher.
A significant asset and strong motivation for marriage for men was the dowry. This institution remained strong until Greece joined the European system in 1981. The testimony of grandmother Erifili about the devaluation of women and their subservience to patriarchal authority in the early 20th century is striking. “It was forbidden by our parents to speak to strangers, especially boys,” says the grandmother, who was a classmate of Sofia Mineiko, later the wife of Georgios Papandreou and mother of Andreas Papandreou. The grandmother was educated and appointed as a teacher in a mountainous village in Epirus. “There were about twenty children, including those who came from neighboring villages. Although they were barefoot and worn out, they were cheerful, obedient, and eager to learn… In the morning, I was the respected teacher whom the children obeyed, and in the evening, I was a girl with dreams like all the girls back then, such as marriage and children, simple things.” Ultimately, over time, the young teacher left her little ones to get married. As she told her granddaughter, “at that time, it was out of the question for the wife of a wealthy man to work outside the home, nor did I even think to raise such a matter” (p. 179). The father of grandmother Erifili was an engineer who was “sometimes fired and sometimes hired in the public sector, depending on which party was in power.” This refers us to the Constitution of Eleftherios Venizelos in 1911, which established the permanence of public servants. This is also a major issue!
Certainly, since then, in the early 20th century, thanks to the feminist struggles of some educated women, significant progress has been made. Today, the economic independence and autonomy of women are considered equally important as those of men, while many women choose not to have children. In the 1970s, the dominant feminist slogan was “I am not my father’s, I am not my husband’s, I want to be myself.” Today, despite the strong remnants of Balkan patriarchy, women make up the majority in universities, even in postgraduate programs and doctoral studies. This is a triumph for women! What remains is the equal distribution of public offices and equal participation in the centers of political decision-making and future planning for the country. Unfortunately, in this area, we are lagging far behind. We are the last country in the EU gender equality indicators (2021 data). The narrative of Chrysaygoulla also addresses violence against women, up to murder due to excessive love! “People say he loved her, but he was very jealous!” Others claimed that “he was sickly jealous and constantly yelled at her and even hit her.”
The book also reminds us of significant historical events in public life that shocked the entire nation and terrified Chrysaygoulla, such as the assassination of Lambrakis in May 1963 and the assassination of U.S. President John Kennedy in November 1963. Additionally, the death of Sophocles Venizelos on February 7, 1964, just days before the electoral triumph of the centrists in the elections of February 16, 1964.
The book is very revealing about the political morals of the time: the clientelist state, nepotism, lack of meritocracy, the absurd and illegal demands of voters from politicians, the fierce struggle for votes, etc. “Many ask for favors, patronage, which the father can easily fulfill. However, for those with difficult requests, he promises nothing.” Chrysaygoulla experienced firsthand her father’s election campaigns, the tours, the excursions to the villages, the godparenthoods, the baptisms, with the most remarkable being the baptism in Tsipiana where they rode on mules. She also witnessed the treats, the gifts, the applause, the cheers, the marking of ballots, the many joys, as well as the anxieties and disappointments of political life. Nakis Avgerinos was one of the politicians who dedicated his life to supporting and alleviating the suffering of the people of Ilia from the trials of earthquakes, poverty, migration, unemployment, and the difficulties brought about by World War II, as well as the civil war that set Greece back significantly economically, politically, and socially.
I was moved by the final chapters of the departure from Pyrgos and the settling in Athens. Now, as she writes in closing the book, there are only the memories of a beautiful and carefree childhood that never leave us. Thank you, my Fouli, for this beautiful journey into our innocent childhood years in our beloved Pyrgos!