Founder’s Note

The series of Ancient Greek literature The Greeks published by KAKTOS draws its moral strength from a sense of responsibility toward Greek society and its material strength from the support of its readers. As a work of the present, it expresses its own era and naturally bears its dynamism and contradictions. As an autonomous and long-term undertaking, constantly nourished by the experience it itself generates, it is shaped, developed, and improved both in form and in content. The continuous upgrading of the series is a constant concern of the publishing side that coordinates the project, of its scholarly editor Professor V. Mandilaras, of the KAKTOS philological team, and of all those who in one way or another collaborate in the completion of the work.

The ancient institution of patronage, which in our time has been energetically revived, seems to be more readily moved by ventures with practical and tangible – even commercial – returns than by questions of education which, as Isocrates said, have “bitter roots”. Thus, the publication of the complete body of our ancient literature, a project among other things extremely costly, has until now been forced to rely exclusively on the response of the reading public.

Yet a work that aspires to fulfill a cultural and, ultimately, a national mission is inevitably defined by the coordinates of its own moral and spiritual character. It must face the difficulties and obstacles erected by the present age and advance through them strengthened. The duty of all those who are called upon, whether specialists or not, to take part in efforts to preserve our language and develop our education – efforts in which the series of Ancient Greek literature is centrally engaged – is forcefully described by Sarantos Kargakos:

“We often hear the phrase, “words have lost their meaning.” And when words lose their meaning, people become foolish and therefore easily manipulated. Once Vladimir Lenin, with the same blunt honesty that characterized him, said: “If you want to erase a people, erase its language.” (…) The Greek language today lives under spiritual occupation. Fortunately, however, the first pockets of resistance have begun to appear. This is a different kind of national resistance, which we hope will one day be recognized and vindicated. We stand at the edge of our times. Greek philologists must choose whom they prefer as an ancestor: Leonidas or Ephialtes.”

We believe that the effort of Kaktos Publications is a response to this call.