What happens, however, in those cases when not only misfortunes or happiness are born in the bowels of the family? What happens when these opposing moods merge into life and even give us tragicomedies?

OUR Soti Triantafillou in his latest novel “Listen to the Lion” (published by Pataki) considers the Leontari family, a typical family of Greek society from the 1950s to the present day, with a more human measure. No idealization about its positive or negative pole. No attempt to put her on a pedestal of extraordinary research. All in all: Lions could be all of us, constituting the great funnel of the middle class.

human works

What does this magazine produce? Disparate, but figuratively uniting elements.

Drama first, from the moment the family’s only son, Ilias, lies in bed after a serious motorcycle accident. His condition is grave. He is in a coma and his chances of survival are slim. Eventually he dies. Yes, death surrounds the whole novel, but does not weigh it down. It does not become his centripetal force.

At the same time, Triantafyllou skillfully opens the “frame” of the book, placing in the frame diametrically different – in relation to life and philosophy – the brother of Elias Sarantis, their two wives, Mirto and Mandy. , their parents, Christ and Francis, and the special personality of Aunt Caroline.

Explicit moments of laughter or even subtle irony do not cause accusations from the pulpit, but try to demonstrate the characteristics of Greek society.

These are the central figures that make up the Leontari family, and there are other heroes around, who, although they play a smaller role in the plot, nevertheless make the necessary touches in an effort to combine the individual with the collective.

The Leontari family is an opportunity to see the panorama of Greek society as it developed immediately after the Second World War and up to the present day.

However, there are clear moments of laughter or subtle irony in the novel, which do not lead to any accusation from the pulpit, but try to demonstrate the peculiarities and pathologies of Greek society. Our things that happened to us, we accepted as a society and gave them more semantic weight than they should have.

The musical background of the book is quite obvious. So much so that you can easily make it soundtrack at the end. Mostly cult rock songs of the 60s and 70s, as well as light ballads like those performed by Tony Pinelli (yes, he is somehow present in the plot).

And rock and F. Negri

There is a hint of memory about the “innocent” past of the country and its people in relation to the cramped present. Aunt Karolina was a flower girl, she was lucky enough to see great rock bands up close, taste love, break out of the restrictive framework of the “must” of Greek society.

At the same time, her sister Frangiska lived with a family that started from scratch and moved to the urban environment of Fokionos Negri thanks to the financial situation of her husband Christos.

The Kypseli area then and now becomes a place where internal migration is intertwined, which actually took place in our country. The aura of remembrance that permeates the book, while not devoid of a source of romance about things lost forever, does not function as a fairy tale. He does not seek to place the present in a time capsule, but to show the route, stations and mutations of our society over the years. Even the urban environment has changed, and not necessarily for the better.

Understanding

Listen to the Lion is a mature book by an author who has a way of squeezing important points without making them seem unnatural. It is also an honest and deeply human novel. Even in moments of family quarrels over property, extramarital affairs, feuds and disappointments, Triantafyllos shows understanding.

Minor, but not out of place: the scenes in the state hospital where Ilias is being held are some of the most indicative of what Greek society is really like. Yes, they are ridiculous. Yes, they show the absurdity that dominates the whole system. However, if you think about it, all of us … Lions were and are part of this system. Tamed lions, but not necessarily lion hearts.