Anti-War Literature

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The Balkan Wars, World War I, World War II and the Greek Civil War influenced important representatives of Greek and international literature, who experienced the atrocities and the hideousness of war. Significant texts of literature which stand out for their anti-war message are the following:

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NOVELS-NARRATIVES

• “'I Zoí En Táfo” by Stratis Mirivilis: it talks about the Balkan Wars and World War I. A realistic narrative about life and death in the trenches.

• “Number 31328” by Elias Venezis: an autobiography, referring to his traumatic experience in captivity during the Asia Minor disaster.

• “The flat river” by Giannis Beratis: a historical narrative, in which the narrator recalls a period in the Albanian war.

• “Story of a captive” by Stratis Doukas: a narrative, in which the hero describes his time in captivity by the Turkish during the Asia Minor war.

• “Angry grain” by Menelaos Loudemis: a novel. One of the greatest anti-war narratives, which shows the agony of the children who experienced the atrocities of World War II, full of tenderness and compassion.

• “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remark: a novel with an anti-war tone.

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CHRONICLES (Narrations of events at chronological order)

• “Return in life: A child-soldier remembers” by Ismail Bea: a chronicle about the unseen violence of war and the children-soldiers in Africa. Ismail Bea writes about his shocking autobiography, witness of the civil war in Sierra Leone.

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NARRATIVES

• “Why?” by Giannis Maglis: a narrative.

• “The river” by Antonis Samarakis: a narrative inspired by World War II.

• “Unprotected” by Demetris Chatzis: narratives referring to events of World War II.

• “From a position in power” by Petros Abatzoglou: an anti-war narrative from the collection “With Minotaur” referring to life standpoints regarding war and peace.

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PLAYS

• “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remark: about World War I

• “The rats do sleep at night, “The kitchen clock” by Wolfgang Borchert: Inspired by World War II

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POETRY

• “Peace”, “Letters for the War”, “Letters from the War” by Giannis Ritsos: poems influenced by his traumatic experience during World War II and the Greek Civil War.

• “If you want to be called a human” by Tasos Leivaditis: humanitarian poetry, which comes from his devastating experience during World War II and the Greek Civil War.

• “A soldier murmurs in the Albanian Battlefront”, “International Childville Petalotsi” by Nikiforos Vrettakos: poems which show human ideals, after his experience of World War II and his participation in the Albanian War.

• “Paliolaos”, “The ballad of Mr Mendios” by Kostas Varnalis: through a satirical mood, he shows his interest about the human being; he was a member of the Resistance against the Nazis.

• “Michalios” by Kostas Karyotakis: a poem from the collection “Elegy and satires”, condemns war through a satirical and sarcastic mood.

• “Poems which sergeant Otto V read to us one night”, “War” by Manolis Anagnostakis: a representative of the post-war generation, influenced by the events of World War II.

• “War” by Andre Breton: poetry influenced by both World Wars.

• “German Song”, “To the German soldiers of the East War”, “Do not throw them all in battle, general” by Bertolt Brecht: poetry related to World War II.

• “War poet” by Sidney Kiss

• “The Three” by Nikolaus Lenau

• “From the seven poems of love to war” by Paul Eluard: shows his peaceful beliefs, collectivisation and humanity.

• “The hurt dove and the fountain” by Gillaume Apollinaire: poetry inspired by World War I.

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LITERATURE OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

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• “Tied red thread” by Zorz Sarri: Simple and everyday stories, with themes taken by the tenure years.

• “When the Sun” by Zorz Sarri: Greece and mostly Athens, after the decade of 1940, at the time of Tenure.

• “The Long Walk of Petros” by Alki Zei: the story of the young rebel, who caused difficulties to the lives of the Italians and Germans.

• “Into their eyes” by Foteini Konstantopoulou: a book with testimonials from 12 children who narrate their personal stories and the uprooting of their homelands.

• “The purple umbrella” by Alki Zei: referring to the events happening during the summer of 1940, before the outbreak of the Greek-Italian war.

• “Molsa in the traces of happiness” by David Sirisi: a story about war and friendship through a special viewpoint. Reference time the World War II.

• “Choco Block” by Eleni Priviolou: referring to events of 1941 and 1942, when children and adults create a chain of love and become soldiers of peace.

• “The luggage of Auschwitz” by Daniela Palumbo: for 12 -year-old children and over.

• “I found my friend again” by Fred Uhlman: a friendship between a Jewish boy and an original member of the Aryan race in Germany of 1932.

• “The war which saved my life” by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley: a multi-levelled novel for adolescent readers, related to World War II and its conditions.

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LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN

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• “When bells stopped the war” by Gianni Rodari.

• “Potatoes, potatoes” by Anita Lobel: a story dedicated to world peace. Illustration for primary school students.

• “The little soldier” by Paul: Illustration for pre-schoolers.

• “The boy with the striped pyjamas” by John Bayne: translated into 42 languages.

• “The town which kicked out war” by Antonis Papatheodoulou: illustrated for children over 5 years old.

• “Stories told by war” by Maria Aggelidou: historical tale.

• “One and seven” by Gianni Rodari.

• “The war of the lost slipper” by Evgenios Trivizas.

• “Peace” by Filippos Mandilaras: an adaptation of the comedy of Aristophanes.

• “Toys and novelties” by Nikolas Andrikopoulos: tales for children of 3-6 years old.

• “The seed of peace” by Isabelle Pean.

• “The grenade which wanted to be like… a screw” a tale by Giota Alexandrou.