When an admirer of Stinas, met an admirer of Castoriadis

How did an admirer of Agis Stinas (a subordinate of the Greek Communist Party during the interwar play and aboriginal 1 of the starring figures of Greek Trotskyism, 1900–1987) travel to meet, wholly by chance, an admirer of Cornelius Castoriadis (1922–1997)?

I came to cognize Cornelius, indirectly unfortunately, not straight oregon personally, done ‘the top κοινωνικά revolutionary of each countries’, Agis Stinas, or, by his fixed name, Spyros Priftis. He was the top Greek revolutionary! As for Cornelius, I met him lone once, and we simply exchanged greetings. I told him that I knew Stinas well. He was walking into the publishing location “Ypsilon / Books,” connected Zoodochou Pigis Street. I precocious passed by 5 Ypatias Street too, Castoriadis’s aged home.

Stinas lived astatine 21A Aristarchou Street, successful Pangrati, connected the crushed floor, successful a level helium was fixed rent-free by the General Secretary of the “K.O. Machitis” group, Aghisilaos Christodoulopoulos, whom we sadly mislaid too soon. Stinas, arsenic I retrieve him, was an implicit renouncer of worldly things. He was ungraded poor, and it didn’t fuss him successful the slightest. I ne'er erstwhile saw him with wealth connected him, ne'er saw him bid anything. Not adjacent a soft drink. He ne'er talked astir money, oregon astir fiscal difficulties—he lived for, and lone from, his ideas. For radical similar him, who had spent galore years successful prison, helium would accidental with a smile: “I went successful a boy, came retired an aged man…” A operation I often use myself now, I archetypal heard it from him. He wore an old-style corduroy overgarment and trousers. He didn’t smoke.

I used to visit him very often, whenever I felt similar it. I would simply [go to his place], ringing the bell, and helium would fto maine in. He was profoundly serious, a lifelong defender of his ideas, and a leader. I’d step into his location and we would talk astir the question and history. He wasn’t progressive with thing else, lone with ideas, books, and newspapers. Once, I recovered Yiannis Tamtakos there [1908–2008, who had worked successful Australia from 1951 to 1966], wrong the house. Another time, I heard him accidental however moved helium was that Pablo (Michalis Raptis) had written successful his autobiography astir his ascetic way of life.

Stinas was ever very benignant to everyone, and particularly to women. He ne'er mocked anyone, ne'er spoke with hatred astir anyone, not adjacent astir the Stalinists who, during the Occupation, were hunting some him and Castoriadis down to termination them. We had agreed, since helium couldn’t stand for agelong (the dampness from Acronauplia had affected him), that I would take him by αυτοκίνητο to Exarchia, to person a java and to talk with anyone who mightiness want to speak with him. I remember, helium was moved. But we didn’t marque it successful time…

When Stinas told maine that Cornelius Castoriadis had been portion of his organisation during the Occupation, I felt large joy—not lone due to the fact that helium was a large thinker, but due to the fact that helium was besides a revolutionary. Because Cornelius wasn’t conscionable an intellectual, helium was a revolutionary intellectual. He wasn’t lone a thinker, helium was a revolutionary thinker…

His thought was revolutionary. In favour of workers’ autonomy, of the system that “would succeed capitalism” but would debar Stalinist bureaucracy and would either realise a society of workers’ councils—or else, it wasn’t a revolutionary society astatine all. During the French May of ΄68, Cornelius was, for some Greek students and seekers, the very embodiment of that French May. And “the French May was Cornelius,” arsenic the filmmaker Kostas Ferris erstwhile said.

Photo: Supplied

I erstwhile asked Stinas astir Castoriadis, “Is helium a revolutionary? Is helium a far-left assembly communist? Because that’s where helium belongs. If helium belongs anywhere, that is.” And helium told me, “He’s still a subordinate of the Group today! The Group is still active.” He ne'er said, “my Group.” On the different hand, arsenic acold arsenic I know, Cornelius ne'er afloat identified with immoderate organisation. Stinas supported the anarchists, while ever holding onto his ain views.

I met the writer and narrator of Cornelius’s beingness successful the video/lecture rather by chance. Chance? Maybe not! In his “Memories,” Stinas writes that “great ideas wait for the close minds to conquer and animate them.” His speech is precise and amazing, and aft gathering Cornelius, helium tasted the greatness –both idiosyncratic and ideological– of the Stinas Group. He mentions Castoriadis’s emotion for cigars, whiskey, women, and ideas.

So, I met Dimitris Eleas successful a governmental café. Not successful Exarchia, oregon astir the University [of Athens], but successful Kolonaki. Not successful an costly café, though—rather successful a simple, proletarian spot (Le Pain de Vie), astatine slightest arsenic acold arsenic the prices go. He was a likable Greek feline surviving successful the U.S… But arsenic we talked, I conscionable couldn’t judge it was by accidental –no successful a protest, nary successful a nationalist speech– that I met a selfless idiosyncratic and revolutionary. Greek kids overseas are seldom leftists, and adjacent much seldom revolutionaries. Their economical survival often makes astir of them Right-wing, oregon centrist, oregon astatine best, Democrats.

In Dimitris, I recovered an astir perfectly kindred spirit. He, a devoted admirer of Cornelius, the student and aboriginal teacher of Stinas. And me, ever an admirer of Stinas. I person met galore ideologues, but such a closeness of thought I person ne'er encountered before. His view –that “Castoriadis is the top Greek aft Aristotle”– is remarkable. It shows crisp governmental insight, something galore neglect to grasp.

Dimitris Eleas thinks astir Cornelius each day. I think astir Stinas. I’m “Stinian to the bone,” he’s “Castoriadian to the bone.” But unfortunately, helium doesn’t unrecorded successful Athens, so we can’t conscionable each day. And person the benignant of conversations that would bring backmost to beingness the 1960s, when some radical tried to storm some the Winter Palace and the Heavens…

*Christos Morogiannis lives successful Athens. He was a person of Stinas from 1982 until his passing. This is simply a translation of a Greek text that primitively appeared successful SLpress of Athens.