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DIONYSIOS S. DEVARIS, 1883-1955

THE MAN AND HIS LEGACY

Dionysios Devaris, son of Spyridon and Anna, was born in Argostolion, capital of Kefallonia, one of the seven Ionian islands that form the Eptanisos, on 8 August 1883, during a short trip of his parents there, but he grew up in Lefkada, another of the Eptanisos islands.

He was a multifaceted artistic talent who excelled in all the forms of art that he engaged in. The field in which he devoted most of his life was journalism. But he also spent many years in the theater as an actor, stage director, playwright, critic, teacher. In all these fields he captured the love, respect, and admiration of his colleagues and his students, as well as that of the public, for his artistic flair as well as for his humanity, integrity, and altruism. You will find here, in italics and quoted with references, many of the comments that his colleagues published in the Greek press before and after his death.

DIONYSIOS DEVARIS THE MAN

Dionysios (also known to friends and family as Niόnios) finished high school in the Lefkada gymnasium, but his early inclination to the arts and literature proved an impediment to his studies.

“His high school professors in Lefkada complained to his parents: “while he is far from being stupid he does very badly with his lessons”. And his parents complained to his professors: “he’s never home. He doesn’t abide by the seven o’clock curfew you have imposed to your students. In the pile of books he is reading, none of them is a school book.” The school’s Principal thought he’d give him a lesson. He made a surprise night visit to Dionysios’ home, of course he didn’t find him there, with the parents permission he went through his books, he picked one of them “Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy” and brought it to class the next day hoping to embarrass the student. He opened a page and started reading: “Oh how I would love to milk you, oh cows of the high…” Laughs at the class; silent the culprit. The Principal’s plot to embarrass him and perhaps change his tactics failed, it didn’t affect Devaris at all.

There was one teacher with whom Devaris was getting along well. His math teacher, who loved to hear Dionysios recite poetry. “—Instead of a lesson I will recite a Palamas poem for you, teach”. And he did.” (1)

In December 1905, at the age of 22, he went to the United States (1) (4) where he studied English literature at Harvard University for three years. In 1906, his 20 years old brother Andreas joined him. (4). When Greece got entangled in the 1912-1914 Balkan Wars, Dionysios, was on a theatrical US tour, with his brother Andreas, performing ancient Greek drama. Upon the news of the start of the war, in 1912, they both cabled to their father in Lefkada to send them urgently money for their return fare. Upon his return he enlisted in the army until September of 1913, and he earned the following medal for his participation in the campaign against Bulgaria.

After the war Devaris started his studies of Law at the University of Athens, only to satisfy his Father’s wish. He received his law degree in 1915 but he never practiced law. (3)

Above all, Dionysios was an exceptional human being.

“Devaris put the general interest before his own, he put his responsibility to the society in which he developed his intellectual endeavors, ahead of his own ambitions. He was an Honest Man first, and then the intellectual and artist.

Devaris didn’t know hatred, nor lies. He was a Christian with the deep meaning of the word: respectful, humble, altruistic – a true Eptanisian and Christian. He loathed all shapes of pharisaism. He was a multifaceted talent, a conservative as well as progressive. While he was nostalgic of the old Eptanisian noblesse and dignity, he would also accept new ideas, and he was a pioneer in the journalistic field, as he was also in the vanguard of the Greek theater as an actor, teacher and director.”

“Through his talents he elevated the name of his native Lefkada and of Eptanisos in the cultural milieus of the Athenian society, and he brought the masterpieces of the ancient Greek wisdom outside the borders of Greece. He was always guided by the Greek spirit and the dream of the eternal Greek beauty.

Devaris was a restless spirit who could not limit himself in one intellectual activity, no matter how interested he was in it. His Eptanisian temperament pushed him always to new horizons of thought, to new fields of action. He ventured into metaphysics and life after death. He collaborated with several British spiritualists, and he met with Krishnamurti.

He spoke English like an Englishman, French like a Frenchman, and Italian like an Italian. The Italian literature, and specifically the Italian poetry had no secrets for him. He could recite Dante in his language, and the verses of Leopardi, Lorenzo, Stechetti, and the immortal odes of Foscolo, with a stupefying ease. He studied the theater of D’Annunzio, of Goldoni, and of Pirandello. Imbued by the French romanticism, he adored Hugo and Lamartine., and admired those writers who enriched generations with their adventure novels like Alexander Dumas, Sr. Concerning the aesthetic and style of the word, Chateaubriand and Ruskin were his idols.

In the later years of his life, before Parkinson’s decease hampered his visual and thinking functions, he developed a particular affection for the work of the three creators of the biographical novel Emile Ludwig, Stephan Zweig, and André Maurois.

From his early youth Dionysios followed closely the international literary and intellectual developments, as well as the developments of the visual arts. He was a regular visitor to the galleries of art in Athens, and a respected critic. He was a friend to many Greek painters, sculptors, and poets of his time.”(2)

The poets Kostis Palamas and Angelos Sikelianos were friends of him. The now internationally famous architect and urbanist Konstantinos Doxiadis was one of his early collaborators in stage design. “Like most of the persons who torture their minds with high objectives and who live under constant abuse of their intellectual energy, Dionysios Devaris was the proverbial “absent-minded professor”. Often he was traveling out of the moment, sunk in endless thinking processes, or wandering in the bliss of dreams. But what is strange is that these were the most charming moments of Niόnios. You would see a Devaris with an innocent almost childish expression, with the one eyebrow raised like the wing of a bird, with the lips puckered like a baby ready to cry. He was then the dreamer Niόnios, who was taken to the pale horizons of the good old days, to the gardens of a lost happiness, in the sweet banks of nostalgic rivers, where he was searching and always finding the flowers of comfort and the juicy fruit of hope. Because Devaris was a steadfast optimist, a poet who lived intensely the moments of solitude, who drew his best emotions from the bright plains of memories, and who had a deep disdain for human pettiness and vanity. Simple in soul and thought, a stoic philosopher in difficult moments, he knew to face the ordeal of his decease with stupendous courage and Eptanisian dignity ‘til the end. He remained until his last breath the charming man with the delicate humour, the unconditional generosity, and the admirable self-control. He remained until the end the good man full of humanity, the kind and bighearted, the altruist, the good friend, the good husband and father, the boyish innocence, and the impeccable gentleman, a real nobleman.

Dionysios Devaris will have a place in the history of Greek journalism, in the history of Greek theater, and in the history of the Eptanisian civilization”. (2)

Niόnios married Kalliope (born ca. 1900 – died 31 August 1971) in 1920.  They didn’t have children of their own: in 1939 they adopted an orphan Sophia (born 1938, died 1982) who in 1958 wed George Vachliotis, and had one daughter named Dionysia.

Dionysios Devaris died in Athens on 13 September 1955 after a debilitating bout with the Parkinson’s decease. He is buried in the Devaris Family tomb in Lefkada.

DIONYSIOS DEVARIS THE JOURNALIST

Dionysios started his journalistic career in the Athens daily newspaper “Acropolis” in 1915, and then worked for other Athenian newspapers, until 1924, when he became the Editor-in-Chief of a major daily newspaper of Athens “Vradyni” until 1930. In the early thirties he was a correspondent for the daily “Kathimerini”, and then Editor-in-Chief of the “Voice of the People”. In 1938 he returned to “Vradyni”, and in 1939 he was sent to London as a foreign correspondent; he reported from there on the European events that led to the break of World War II. In 1940, after Mussolini declared war and sent his forces to attack Greece through Albania, Dionysios was assigned as a war correspondent to the Albanian front for five months. Until his death in 1955 he was a contributing editor to the “Helios Greek Encyclopædia”. (3) “As a journalist Devaris was a perfect example of a good public servant. Because journalism is not just a profession, it is a very important public service with intrinsic responsibilities. And Devaris had a great sense of these responsibilities. He possessed unique qualities: honor, insight, courage, impartiality, dignity, honesty, clarity of expression; qualities that unfortunately are lacking in today’s journalists. Dionysios was up-to-date on all current events in the world, not only in politics but also in the arts.

Few Greek journalists knew how to combine thought and action as Dionysios Devaris did.  He possessed an amazing culture, a general all-around education, and a unique  awareness of the world.  Because Devaris was the kind of intellectual who perpetually renewed his thought ammunition through incessant reading and multifaceted writing. He followed the development of ideas and the course of events always searching for the truth through comparative study, and for beauty through deep observation.  His stamp was his constant struggle to approach and possibly achieve the ideal.

His productive imagination, his culture, his honesty and integrity, the down-to-earth ways of expressing his ideas, together with his fluent possession of three foreign languages (English, French, and Italian), and his Eptanisian humour were the most prominent features of the journalist Devaris.” (2)

Dionysios was a true pioneer in the Greek journalistic field, and his career is showered with successes.

He had a knack in getting interviews with some inapproachable personalities of his times, and in getting into places mostly inaccessible to the press.

A charming anecdote from his professional life illustrates brilliantly the journalistic flair of Niόnios. In 1926 the American “Wonder Kid” of cinematography Jackie Coogan was arriving by boat in the port of Piraeus. The Athenian press was all lined up at the quay waiting for the boat to dock and their permission by the Coast Guard to come aboard. They were elbowing each other to get first to the gang plank to get Coogan’s photo and interview. When the boat sided the dock and the sailors were throwing the ropes to tie it, Devaris catches one rope, climbs it up to the deck, and with the coast guards chasing after him “stop and get out or we’ll throw you in the water” he located Coogan, took a brief interview and a few pictures, and when the gang-plank was finally set, he ran down on it and to his newspaper with his interview in his pocket and photos in his camera, while his colleagues were still waiting for the permission to go aboard (1).

Dionysios Devaris possessed another indispensable quality for a journalist: he didn’t limit himself in any specialty of the journalistic arena. Using the wisdom he acquired through his multilingual readings he wrote successfully about everything: from a feature article, to an op-ed, to an interview with an international personality, to an art critique. I remember two of his interviews (with George Bernard Shaw and Jackie Coogan) which impressed me deeply for their fresh approach, their delicate humour and especially the way he presented his … victims!” (2)

He managed to receive an invitation to the wedding ceremonies of the Duke of Kent to Princess Marina of Greece, the only Greek journalist to receive such an honor. At a time when there was no television, Devaris’ eloquent, detailed, captivating reportage in “Kathimerini”, was the only source for Greeks to learn about the event.

"Devaris was a teacher and a pioneer. He is the first to introduce in Greece the American methods of journalism. In the seven years he spent in America, he didn’t only study English literature. He watched in action the American journalism and, the progressive spirit that he was, he set out to apply the American system in Greece. That system is practiced today in Greece, and has brought Greek journalism to new heights." (2)

The journalistic reputation of Dionysios Devaris brought him international recognition. The then kingdoms of Rumania and Montenegro honored Devaris with medals of honor, and honorary degrees, and the Academy of Letters and Sciences of Naples decorated him with their “Cross of Honor” and named him “Life Member of the Academy”.

“Whatever Devaris wrote in the Greek newspapers during his long journalistic career bears the seal of professionalism, moral integrity, a love for beauty, a respect for justice, unbiased reporting, and the Eptanisian nobility of spirit.” (2)

DIONYSIOS DEVARIS – MAN OF THE THEATER

===PLAYWRIGHT – ACTOR – STAGE DIRECTOR - CRITIC – TEACHER – NOVELIST===

“But the journalistic genius of Dionysios Devaris does not exhaust the rich creativity of this versatile intellectual who elevated with honors the name of Lefkada and of Eptanisos among the circles of the Athenian intelligentsia, and who taught the masterpieces of ancient Greek wisdom outside the borders of Greece. Let’s not forget that Devaris, in his early youth was a brilliant actor and theater producer, and later a playwright, stage director, and co-founder of the “Laϊki Skene” (“Stage of the People”).

Dionysios Devaris was a born artiste. At the age of 18 he was one of the principal actors of “Nea Skene” (“New Stage”) of Christomanos. His interpretations there gave him the chance to show his rich and resourceful talents, but also to experience from close-up the intricacies of a stage production which helped him in his later work as a playwright and stage director.” (2)

On December 1905, at the age of 22, he went to the United States (1) where he studied English literature at Harvard University. In 1910, while in San Francisco with his brother Andreas they met Raymond Duncan (1875-1966) and his sister Isadora Duncan (1878-1927). With them, and with Raymond’s wife Penelope Sikelianos (sister of the poet Angelos Sikelianos), and Eleni Passaghianni (also sister of Angelos Sikelianos, former star of the Athenian theater “Nea Skene”) they toured major cities of the US, like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Louis, and San Francisco, presenting Sophocles’ “Elektra” in the original ancient Greek language. In the fall of 1911 they presented their production in two major theaters of Paris: the Trocadero, and the Châtelet. (3)

Around 1914 Raymond Duncan (who by then had moved to Paris, and had established his “Akademia” on the Left Bank, at 31 Rue de Seine), his wife Penelope, and Isadora Duncan came from Paris to visit Devaris in Athens. One moonlit night, while the four of them were visiting the Acropolis, awed by the beauty of the full moon brightening the white marbles of Parthenon, they recreated in their imagination an ancient scene of Athenians on the Sacred Rock of Acropolis. It was then that they vowed to abandon their current lifestyles and adopt the ancient Greek way of living including their way to dress, and to shed as much as possible of their dependence on the industrialism of their era. They decided that from then onward, they would go on in life wearing the Greek tunic and sandals which they would make with their own hands.

Raymond carried his vow to the end of his life; as soon as he returned to Paris he wore every day a Greek tunic that he wove himself on his own loom, and sandals that he made himself, and he ate in a very Spartan way until his death on 15 August 1966, at the age of 91. He had become a symbol of “la vie bohème” for Americans, and in Paris he had become a familiar and charming site for the bohemians when he walked the streets of the Left Bank. Penelope, his wife, wore also the tunic when they returned to Paris, but she caught pneumonia and died in 1917; some blamed her death to the tunic she wore as being too light a vestment for a Greek in the Parisian winter.

Isadora Duncan transferred her vow to her dancing, studying the ancient representations of movement on the painted Greek vases, and interpreting them in loose movements that prompted many critics to describe her dancing as that of a mænead. Dionysios was the only one of that quartet that didn’t make an effort to live like an ancient; he liked his lifestyle the way it was.

“Devaris wrote several plays which were produced successfully in Athens, but his activities in the theater are not limited to play righting. He teaches gratis young actors, he scouts for and advances young talents, he directs difficult and risky productions, he writes convincing critics of plays. He founds new theatrical troupes where new actors and stage designers find grounds for development, like the ““Laϊki Skene” (“Stage of the People”), which he co-founded with Karolos Koun and Yanni Tsarouchis. In this stage he co-directed masterfully “Erofili” of Hortatsis”. (2)(3)

“The critic Dionysios Devaris, who in the past had been an actor, a director, and a playwright, is the man who convinced Karolos Koun to make his first step out of the amateurish protection of university productions, into the real world of the theater. Together they founded “Laϊki Skene” with the collaboration of Yannis Tsarouchis.” (5)

In April 1934 the magazine ‘THEATIS” describes “Laϊki Skene”as follows:

“The Athenians will soon be able to enjoy the fruits of a splendid artistic endeavor which began last December with silent patience. It’s the “Laϊki Skene” of Mr. Devaris and the professor of the “Athens American College” Mr. Karolos Koun; the troupe will have its first appearance on 20 April at the “Olympia” theater, with the famous Cretan drama “Erofili” by Hortatsi.

Two theater “high priests” – the professors – about fifteen young men and women – the students – in a small room of the “Municipal Theater”, graciously offered by the Mayor of Athens, where the lessons are taught. This is the kindling of “Laϊki Skene”.

The students do not belong to any dramatic school. Some are office clerks, others university students, and others craftsmen, who sneak some time from their main occupation to attend these theatrical courses. Classes are every day from six to nine in the evenings, and Saturday and Sunday all day.”

Devaris told me: I have great confidence in our effort, I am sure it will succeed. What Mr. Koun and I are trying is to institute a theatrical troupe with totally fresh elements. The young people who come here have no idea of theater. We started immediately with acting, no theory. They learn everything as they go along rehearsing.”

I observed a rehearsal of these students of “Laϊki Skene” and I was truly impressed. A young sailor with elementary school education, two high school graduates, a student of the Polytechnic school. These were the actors. Well !!! These performers – performing in a rehearsal – without costumes, no make-up, no stage, in a small room, not only they faithfully presented the dramatic nuances of this Cretan masterpiece with their stage movement, face expression, and voice intonation, but to me at least, they gave me a powerful emotion and artistic enjoyment.” (6)

In April 1934 the magazine “EVDOMAS”, in an article “A New Theater”, writes:

"One day last December, my colleague Mr. Dionysios Devaris invited me to attend the rehearsals of a dramatic school that he founded together with the professor of the American College of Athens Mr. Karolos Koun, known for his very successful productions in the College’s school of dramatic art. He gave me an appointment to guide me to the place, because, as he said, alone I would be able to find my way. And he was right.

We met one chilly night of December. We walked to the Municipal Theater, we enter a door with the sign “Army Recruiting”, we climbed a steep stair up two stories, we turned right, went through a small door, and I got totally disoriented. We were walking in absolute darkness. Mr. Devaris took out of his pocket a flashlight, held me by the arm, we walked a pitch dark and long corridor, we turned left, through another door, and found ourselves in the chaotic mess of scenery and props on the stage of the theater. The draft from the broken window panes made it colder in there than at the outside. We traverse the stage, descend three steps, turn right, through another long corridor and another door. Finally we see light. In a four by five meters dingy room there are waiting a group of about forty young men and women. Upon our entrance they all rise, like as if in a classroom. And the rehearsal begins…

… A week ago I returned to the place. Now the number of youths surrounding us came down to fifteen. The troupe is getting ready for their first performance. In addition to Messrs. Devaris and Koun I meet their third partner the artist Mr. Ioannis Tsarouchis, the stage designer of the troupe, who had joined this venture from its inception…

… The group spirit instilled to these young talents is illustrated by a talk to them by Mr. Devaris: --“I told you in the past that in our company there are no stars. We are all equal. Today I want to add the following: if we have any profit from the receipts of our performances we will not split the proceeds equally among ourselves. The neediest among us, those with limited income will get more than the others.” (7)

This speech of Dionysios to his student/actors is a perfect reflection of his generosity and kindness that followed him throughout his life.

Unfortunately this effort of “Laϊki Skene” didn’t last long as the critic Nestor Laskaris tells us in 1935:

“After the seven initial performances, “Erofyli” closed, mainly because of discord among its performers. Mr. Devaris took with him many of the actors of the group and founded the “Hellenic Skene”. The Athens Mayor Mr. Kotzias took the group under his aegis, he gave them a decent theater, and today this worthy group is working on its new repertory. The architect and stage designer Konstantinos Doxiadis, son of the former minister, joined the group. “ (8)

It is apparent that all efforts of Dionysios Devaris focused on reviving the purely Greek theater, and avoid the then strong western influences on the arts. Devaris said:

“In the Greek theater, in general, we speak Greek but we perform French. Of course we imitate the French without success because we are not French. That’s why, in our “Hellenic Skene” effort, we strive to bring back the Greek tradition, the Greek expression, in a word, the Greek life into our theater.” (8)

This principle was Devaris’ guide in his teachings at the “Laϊki Skene” and the “Hellenic Skene”.

The work of Dionysios as a playwright was a great success. “Miss Charleston”, presented at the “Olympia” by the Papaioannou Troupe in 1927, “The Prince of Dollars”, presented by the Argyropoulos Group in 1926, and “Irini”, presented by the great dramatist Marika Kotopouli in 1935, “are plays that left their mark in the Greek theater” (2).

The Athenian press had raving reviews for Devaris’ operetta “Miss Charleston”, with music by Theofrastos Sakellaridis.

“… it is exceptional that every performance has the same crowds as the opening night, and that people have to try three and four times to get tickets.” (VRADYNI) “… The libretto, written by Mr. Devaris with care and brio, would be able to stand on its own without the music.” (ESTIA) “… the public received enthusiastically the original libretto and music of this new operetta, and the performers as well as the authors received standing ovations.” (TA CHRONIKA)

“… the ambiance of a small Greek village, the eccentric American woman with her all-powerful money. the beautiful music, and the excellent performance were the ingredient of the success of this original operetta. At the opening night the authors received repeated curtain calls.” (FANTASIE magazine)

In 1934 the troupe of Marika Kotopouli, the most popular in Athens, presented another play of Dionysios Devaris “Irini”, with performances by several stars of the Greek theater at the time: Marika Kotopouli, Katerina Andreadi, Jenny Peridou, Ghiorghos Pappas, and Spyros Mousouris. The stage design was by the architect Konstantinos Doxiadis, known today universally as one of the most prominent architect/urbanist in the world.

Most of the critics gave a lukewarm reception to the play, but the public received it with standing ovations.

“The play is a charming comedy. The producer, Marika Kotopouli, well known for her quest for perfection, said: “I didn’t find in the script one single line that I would want to cut.” (PROÏA)

“Irini” is a complete, in all aspects, piece presenting an exceptional delicatesse that I wish future playwrights follow. The excellent performance of the actors brought out the fine elements of the comedy.” (VRADYNI)

"Niόnios loved theater so much that he was ready to act as the prompter if need be for the success of a performance. He was the playwright, the translator, the editor, the producer, the director, the actor, and when necessary he was the costume designer and sometimes the electrician. He was the artistic spirit who soared in heights with the wings of his love and unbridled enthusiasm for the theater.

One can only imagine the toil and agony, and the emotional ups-and-downs that Niόnios went through when teaching and successfully producing ancient Greek tragedy to a group of actors who all their strength was in their enthusiasm, their love and acting ambition, but none in their knowledge of and gut feeling for the ancient Greek drama.”(2)

The writing inspiration of Devaris could not be limited to writing only for the theater and the press. He also wrote three novels, and several short stories. In “Sister Anna” he describes the dark days of famine and suffering of the Athenians during the Nazi occupation.

After his death the Greek media paid tribute to their colleague through an abundance of praise in print and series of programs aired in the Athens radio stations. Greek journalism lost a remarkable journalist who honored the profession. The Greek theater lost a pioneer playwright, teacher, director. And those who knew Dionysios Devaris mourned the loss of a genuine Human Being.

SOURCES

(1) Lefkadian newspaper “LEFKAS”, 16 April 1954, “With Much Gratitude and Much Love – Dionysios Devaris”. (2) Athenian newspaper “VRADYNI”, 9 & 17 September 1958, “Literary Vradyni – Eptanisian Personalities – Dionysios Devaris”, by Dimitri Kallonas. (3) Greek Encyclopedia “HELIOS”. (4) Ellis Island Records, New York. (5) “EIKONES” magazine, 2 March 2008, page 80, “Great Teachers”. (6) “THEATIS” magazine, April 1934, page 5, “From the Life of the Arts”. (7) “EVDOMAS” magazine, April 1934, “A New Theater”. (8) Athenian newspaper “ANATOLI”, 21 May 1935, “The effort of “Hellenic Skene” – An Avant-garde Theater”, by Nestor Laskaris.