Yannis of Dirfy

By Michael M. Nikoletseas

*Yannis of Dirfy* by Michael M. Nikoletseas is a poignant and deeply personal elegy to a cherished friendship, set against the rugged backdrop of Euboea Island, Greece. Published in 2017, this slim yet emotionally dense volume blends prose, poetry, and classical references to create a vivid portrait of Yannis, a man whose life and death profoundly shaped the author's own experiences. Nikoletseas, a polymath with a background in philosophy, psychology, and medicine, channels his intellectual depth into a raw, unpolished narrative that captures the essence of male camaraderie, grief, and the mythopoetic landscape of rural Greece.

Nikoletseas's prose is conversational, often rough-hewn, and laced with the vernacular of Euboean tavernas-cigarette smoke, wine, and profanity abound. The language is unapologetically masculine, reflecting the cultural milieu of rural Greece, where men grapple with vulnerability through stoic bravado or physical altercations. Yet, beneath this gruff exterior lies a tender undercurrent, as seen in moments of quiet intimacy, such as the silent companionship during the epitaph procession or Yannis's rare admissions of affection. The poetry, by contrast, is dense with imagery and allusion, drawing on Greek mythology, Orthodox Christian rituals, and the natural splendor of Mount Dirfy. Poems like "The Wounded Hare" and "The Stone" are particularly evocative, transforming Yannis into a symbol of resilience and loss, akin to a wounded animal or an enduring monument.

The book is steeped in the mythology and geography of Euboea, with Mount Dirfy emerging as a living, almost divine presence. Described as a "Goddess" that sheds its material form to merge with cosmic light, Dirfy is both a physical and spiritual anchor, embodying the primal energy of the island's men. Nikoletseas's vivid descriptions of snow-covered peaks, pine forests, and the Euboean Gulf infuse the narrative with a sense of place that is both specific and archetypal. The recurring motif of the swallow, particularly in the poem "Denial," symbolizes Yannis's fleeting vitality and inevitable mortality, its wounded flight echoing the author's grief.

oss and mourning are central to the narrative, framed by Yannis's death on November 8, 2017, which coincides hauntingly with the author's nameday. The coincidence lends the story a fateful quality, as if Yannis's departure was a final act of loyalty, ensuring his friend would never forget him. Nikoletseas's grief is palpable in the prose, particularly in the final phone call where Yannis's faint voice betrays his frailty, and in the poetry, where images of rabbits, stones, and extinguished candles convey the ache of absence.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1982010959
• ISBN13: 9781982010959
• Release Date: December 2017
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 68 Pages
• Weight: 0.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 5.0" x 8.0"