#gogou

This is a biography of greece’s greatest anarchist poetess, Katerina Gogou (1940-1993). Until today Gogou remains the bete-noire of modern poetry in Greece with only one poetic anthology including her groundbreaking heretical work. However, her poems have become an indivisible part of the radical culture of the country and of the public imaginary of Exarcheia. Recently a biography of Katerina Gogou titled “Katerina Gogou: Death’s Love [Erotas Thanatou]” appeared, authored by Agapi Virginia Spyratou (2007, Vivliopelagos, Athens), based on her doctoral thesis. However no study or history of Katerina Gogou’s involvement in the anarchist struggle of the 1980s has ever been published in greek, leaving a great gap in both the history of the movement and in the biography of the poetess. The biography presented below is based on the book of Sryratou as well as on several reviews of her life and work in literary magazines like Odos Panos (Vol. 145, July-September 2009). The only translation of her work in English is an old publication of her first collection of poems “Three Clicks Left”, translated by Jack Hirchmann and published in San Franscisco by Night Horn Books. The book not being available in greece, I have provided my own translations to her poems with asterisks for explanations on notions and places (apologies for my literary sloppiness in advance). The original format of the poems is generally preserved, but no titles are given as her poems had no titles. Links to videos of Gogou reciting them are given where available. The recitations heard are from the vinyl record “On the Street” described below. Weird screeching siren like noises interrupting the recitation at places is no digital mistake but the 1980s not-so-subtle censorship of “inappropriate words” and political comments by the authorities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeL39hntE74

Κατερίνα Γώγου

My Friends My own friends are blackbirds who play see-saw on roofs of crumbling houses Exarchia, Patisia, Metaxurgio, Metz. They do whatever comes along. Peddlers of cookbooks and encyclopedias they build roads and connect deserts barkers for Zinonos Str. dives professional rebels cornered in the old days and forced to drop their pants now they swallow pills and alcohol to sleep but they have dreams so they don’t sleep. My own women-friends are taut wires on roof terraces of old houses Exarchia, Victoria, Koukaki, Ghizi. You’ve pinned on them a million steel clothes’ pins your guilt, party-meeting decisions, borrowed dresses cigarette burn-marks, strange headaches threatening silences, vaginitis they fall in love with gays trichomonas, late-periods the telephone the telephone the telephone broken glasses and no one for an ambulance. They do whatever comes along. My friends are always on the move because you haven’t given them an inch. All my friends paint with black because you’ve debased the red for them they write in a symbolic tongue because your own’s only for ass-licking. My friends are blackbirds and wires in your hands. At your throat. My friends. (Katerina Gogou. From Three Clicks Left. 1978) (Translated by Angelos Sakkis) ------ Εμένα οι φίλοι μου Εμένα οι φίλοι μου είναι μαύρα πουλιά Εμένα οι φίλες μου είναι σύρματα τεντωμένα Εμένα οι φίλοι μου είναι μαύρα πουλιά που κάνουν τραμπάλα στις ταράτσες ετοιμόρροπων σπιτιών Εξάρχεια, Πατήσια, Μεταξουργείο, Μετς Κάνουν ό, τι λάχει Πλασιέ τσελεμεντέδων κι εγκυκλοπαιδειών Φτιάχνουν δρόμους κι ενώνουν ερήμους Διερμηνείς καμπαρέ Ζήνωνος της σε Επαγγελματίες επαναστάτες Παλιά στρίμωξαν τους και τα κατέβασαν Τώρα παίρνουν χάπια και να οινόπνευμα κοιμηθούν αλλά βλέπουν όνειρα και δεν κοιμούνται Εμένα οι φίλες μου είναι σύρματα τεντωμένα στις ταράτσες παλιών σπιτιών Εξάρχεια, Βικτώρια, Κουκάκι, Γκύζη Πάνω τους έχετε καρφώσει εκατομμύρια σιδερένια μανταλάκια τις ενοχές σας, αποφάσεις συνεδρίων, δανεικά κοστούμια, σημάδια από κάφτρες περίεργες ημικρανίες, απειλητικές σιωπές κολπίτιδες ερωτεύονται ομοφυλόφιλους τριχομονάδες καθυστέρηση Το τηλέφωνο το τηλέφωνο το τηλέφωνο σπασμένα γυαλιά Το ασθενοφόρο Κανείς ... Κάνουν ό, λάχει τι Όλο ταξιδεύουν οι φίλοι μου γιατί δεν για τους αφήσατε σπιθαμή σπιθαμή Οι φίλοι μου με ζωγραφίζουν Όλοι μαύρο χρώμα γιατί τους ρημάξατε το κόκκινο Γράφουν σε συνθηματική γλώσσα γιατί η δική σας για μόνο γλύψιμο κάνει Οι φίλοι μου είναι μαύρα πουλιά σύρματα και στο λαιμό σας, χέρια σας στα Οι φίλοι μου ... (Κατερίνα Γώγου. Από Τρία κλικ αριστερά , 1978).

Nosuke got a bouquet, yet he returned as Matsurida Zetto. He even reprised his role as Ansatsu-chan for the photobook.

Episode 31