Interview of the authors: Dimitris Varvarigou and Lefkotheas Marias Golgakis with the journalist, Ioanna Lazarou for Greek News and Radio Florida.
Dimitris Varvarigos and Lefkothea Maria Golgakis are two authors that I love to read because they each write in their own unique style and dynamics and always in an understandable and comprehensible manner without tiring the reader.
I asked to meet them because of their latest book "Agnodiki i Athenaia" which has just been released, after their first venture which is entitled: "Alkistis".
I'll start by diving in without further ado. Tell us about the theme of your 2nd book. What is Agnodiki?
LMG: Agnodiki is a young woman living in the late 4th, early 3rd century at a time when many women are dying because they are reluctant to seek medical help because of the shame they feel in exposing their naked bodies to a male physician.
Our heroine decides to travel to Alexandria to study at the school of the doctor, Herophilos. But part of the social restrictions imposed on women is the denial of their right to study medicine. So, she cuts her hair, changes her name, and pretends to be a man to achieve her goal. Returning to Athens, she practices her profession as a Gynecologist-Obstetrician and reveals her gender to several women, resulting in more and more of them requesting her medical services. The men, noticing her growing clientele, begin to suspect that their wives may be having affairs with her.
They refer her to trial, accusing her of illicit relations with their wives. The only and unwavering element that advocates her acquittal is the disclosure of her real identity, but she is sentenced to death, since she seems to have violated the law. At this point, women from different social strata appear as defenders, overturning this condemning decision. He is unceremoniously acquitted and becomes the occasion for a revision of the legislation that paves the way for future generations.
DB: It is a work with timeless messages regarding the differences between the two sexes. Strong messages about equality pass through our text; and we hope with our own voice to contribute positively to these issues, which unfairly separate women from men, and to awaken consciousness for the undivided respect of one sex for the other . We worked very carefully on these delicate issues to show that everything can be shared by people, when there is respect and good choice.
Very nice topic, I'm sure it will touch. Now let's go to your collaboration. The phenomenon of collaborations between writers is rare in Greece as the writing for each writer has its own separate technique of plot and action, the creation of the heroes, their character and therefore the final form of performance of the overall expression of their work are usually inconsistent and to be diametrically opposed. How did you manage? What is the secret of your cooperation, your success?
LMG: "Alkistis" was my first work in theater and I served it with soul and knowledge, trying not to leave any performance gap that would weaken the result of the play. Regarding our approach to our projects, with Dimitris, we are two people who share a myth at a time and we have to work as a unit, there is no other way. Otherwise the reader will perceive the difference in our scenes and heroes, which is prohibitive to the work itself.
DB: Co-writing that comes from two authors takes patience and endless hours of dedication to get a proper result. And this is achieved because there is no competitive spirit between us. We are living a great literary journey and we will continue to live it with excessive responsibility, to create worthy works that will be relevant in every era.
LMG: This kind of writing requires endless hours of study and research on multiple levels. From the moment we tackle a subject, the psychography of our heroes begins in relation to their motivations, character, place and time, traditions and rules that generally govern the era. It is a lot of work that we share and work with excellent crews for the perfect result.
DB: Everything is thought out in detail. We work seamlessly and any obstacle presented at the moment of creation is easily overcome through a sober dialogue on the subject, resulting in a positive outcome that always benefits the project and not the personal ego of each of us.
LMG: Nothing is done lightly since every word in the text is carefully given. We have a lot of demands on ourselves. Often there are different opinions but even more often we agree on the approach we have and this is due to our common pursuit of the best possible result.
"Alkistis" was your first co-authored venture, not only as a book but also as a theatrical performance that was staged just this June under the title "Alkistis...otherwise", at the open air theater of Veikos, with success. Were these, book and play, your goals, and how do you feel they were achieved?
DB: I answer from my own personal feeling that every time I manage to make what I create worth sharing with the world, it makes me happy and gives me the confidence to continue. After all, it is the bet every time to achieve the best result. In the collaborative part now with Lefkothea, I am sure that both our works: "Alkistis" and "Agnodiki", are excellent because we worked very hard and painstakingly.
LMG: "Alkistis" premiered at the open air theater of Veikou, directed by Katerina Mandeli, and from September we will continue with a few more performances in various theaters of Attica. We will seek to upload Agnodiki as well, as well as all our works that follow. Now in terms of how we feel, I would personally say that it is a constant struggle that leaves no room for complacency.
Does all this recent but at the same time serious course of your two plays pave the way for you in any direction you would like to pursue in the future outside of playwriting?
LMG: As far as our collaboration is concerned we are dedicated to playwriting. On an individual level, each of us follows our own unique path.
DB: Each one of us in his personal writing follows his inspirations and continues his dynamic course unhindered. In closing, I would like to emphasize that our cooperation is based on sound foundations, that's why the result is good and makes us happy, giving us the impetus to continue.
What are you cooking now?
LMG: Our next project is going to be a tragedy. It is another bet we have made with ourselves.
DB: We have found the subject, but it is too early to reveal anything about it yet. However, we are in the stage of organizing the fiction. Soon we will start working again.
Thank you for our beautiful communication.
LMG – DB: We...
