- Forty three years ago, I started my career in Greece. This made me locate and observe Greeks in all the countries I have served. I must say, I never stop being amazed with your compatriots...
Sir Adrian (a nickname) is now a retired senior diplomat. He is spending a lot of time in Greece, having a beautiful house on an island.
- What is it that amazes you? I asked.
- Greeks abroad are so different! Living outside Greece brings out the best or the worst in them. Usually the best. But the basic thing is that they act and react as if they belonged to another nation.
- So much for national character!
- Well, you know, I never gave much attention to stereotypes. But have you seen a Greek driving in Germany?
- Very disciplined!
- I couldn't believe my eyes! Correct like a German. Never stayed in the left lane -- unless he wanted to overtake. While here -- he either goes slowly and blocks the traffic or he charges wildly never giving a hoot about priority and burns all the red lights.
- He probably understands that he cannot get away with such things in Germany. The other drivers will reduce him to mincemeat!
- Well, that is one thing I have noticed. Greeks abroad are able to conform to the rules of their new environment. They only revert to their original Greek self when they meet with their fellow countrymen -- in the kafeneion. Suddenly you feel as if Aladdin's Jinni had transferred the whole building on Greek soil.
- You remind me of some fellow students in Germany. They gave me the impression that they had never left Greece. They ate in the Greek restaurants, spend most of their time in the Greek coffee house and departed after some years never having learned the language, met any German (except, possibly, a few girls) or even visited the sights.
- And of course without a diploma! I know. This is what I meant by worse. The other extreme. Either the Greek harmonizes perfectly with his surroundings, or he sits very unhappy in the corner, refuses to cooperate and accuses everybody of conspiring against him.
- Isn't this the exception? We have so many success stories!
- Nobody will be able to give us sound statistics. We only hear about success. Failure remains obscure and anonymous. Let us focus on success. I want to ask you this: We have heard of many Greeks who became famous after leaving their country. Have you ever heard any success story with an inverse plot?
- You mean: Greeks who never made it abroad and succeeded in their own country? I don't know. I cannot think of any such case. But then we are all influenced by cliches.
- But if it happened, it would make the headlines. It would be news! You know, "man bites dog" situation.
- So it probably hasn't happened...
- The disheartening thing about platitudes is that they are usually true. It seems that the typical success story: "frustrated Greek leaves the country and earns recognition, fame and money elsewhere" is true. Even if it is so hackneyed it wouldn't work in a Greek television serial.
- I will not contest it. But let us dig a little deeper. Let us search for the reason why. This recurrent pattern of success could mean one of two things: Either Greeks "show their better selves" as you stated -- or they show their usual selves, but foreigners are more willing to recognize them.
- Why not both? Sir Adrian observed.
- While studying in Germany I observed an attitude which I would call "double racism". The German used to either undervalue or overvalue the merit of foreigners. If a foreign student was below average he was dismissed as completely worthless. If he was just good, he was acclaimed as a genius.
- The second reaction is even more racist than the first. It implies the idea: "although he is a Greek (or a Negro) he can manage!" Applause for the trained monkey.
- Come on! you go too far! I do not know if this holds true of other nations but Germans were very eager to promote a talented foreigner. He had more chances than a local.
- Whereas the non-talented could only be good for chores. Ok - I am a little cynical today. It happens to retired diplomats. Nevertheless you are right: not only the opportunities in foreign countries are more abundant - people are also less antagonistic. In Greece you constantly undermine each other. But let us go back to our main subject -- Greeks abroad. Should one sum up their achievements, they are really amazing.
- Not only that: I would argue that much of what is now thought to be the essence of Modern Greek culture came from Greeks living in foreign countries. Why -- three of our major poets did not even speak perfect Greek: Solomos, Kalvos and Kavafis. Seferis remarked that.
- Seferis, my colleague! I met him once, as a young attach?. He himself was born in Smyrna - and spent most of his life roaming all over the world.
- The most prosperous and creative Greeks, during the last three centuries, did not live in mainland Greece. They were to be found in Alexandria and Constantinople, the Ionian Islands, Smyrna, Syros and Trieste, Bucarest and Paris, Odessa and London. That is where the Greek Independence War originated. Rigas preached there, Corais taught, Kapodistria managed foreign affairs, the big benefactors (Averoff, Syggros, Zappas) assembled their fortunes.
- The flowering of the Greek bourgeoisie. You have written a book about it -- maintaining that there was never a middle class in mainland Greece.
- You are always well informed! Yes -- we missed a class and all it meant for the West: Renaissance, Reformation, Industrial Revolution, Enlightenment, French Revolution. But the Greeks living abroad got all the messages -- and acted as a catalyst...
- You know Greek history much better than I do. When I think of Greeks abroad, my mind goes to more recent situations: Dimitri Mitropoulos, Maria Callas, Aristotle Onassis, the Greek shipowners in London and New York...
- And there is still another category. Greeks who lived in Greece but were accepted and acclaimed in other countries. I remember reading Kazantzakis' novels in English -- the Greek originals did not yet exist in Greece.
- He is not the only one to be re-imported in his own country. You mentioned Seferis. I think most Greeks discovered him after the Nobel price.
- To judge by the sales of his books -- definitively.
- There again you have your usual Greek dichotomy. One the one hand Greeks hate living in foreign countries -- so many old songs complain about the woes of xenitiá-- on the other hand they seem to thrive there and prosper much more than in their own nation.
- They may prosper -- but are they happy?
- Are they happy in Greece? Your compatriots do nothing but complain. Living here they dream of emigrating -- and when they do emigrate, they become home-sick.
- Still it is interesting to note that almost one third of the total Greek community lives under foreign flags: Australia, the States, Germany, Cyprus...
- Cyprus -- more affluent than ever -- after all that happened! I just returned from a visit there.
- Which confirms your theory. Greeks need a strong challenge to show their vigor. A foreign environment seems to provide such a challenge. That is why Greeks abroad are more successful.
- They are also more patriotic!
- Well, that can be explained: Home-sickness. And, to add a cynic note myself, it is always easier to love your country when you are far away...
