Representation, otherness and characterization: images of 1922 in greek fiction

Abstract

1922 is much more than a simple date for both Greeks and Turks. The two nations are attached wholeheartedly to this date with all memories, feelings and „sensibilities‟. For Turks, 1922 marks the emergence of the „National‟ Turkish State with the defeat of the Greek Army on the Aegean coast. Yet for the collective Greek memory, 1922 is not merely a military defeat that came unexpectedly at the hands of new Turkish Nationalist Movement. For Greeks 1922 is identified as a "Catastrophe". Throughout this article the common memories assigned to this date will be analyzed, focusing on how 1922 is represented in the Greek fiction.