Christos Yannaras, in memoriam
Christos Yannaras never left readers indifferent with his writings for Kathimerini; his editorials left no room for mild reactions. There were readers who were devoted to him and others who could not tolerate him. Some saw him as a prominent figure in a unique Greek-centric Enlightenment, while others regarded him as a proponent of obscurantism. Nonetheless, until he could no longer write, he remained an integral part of the newspaper and a frequent topic of conversation among his readers.
His long-standing presence alongside Antonis Karkagiannis and Giorgos Koumantos in the opinion pages embodied an old, traditional recipe we inherited: the principle that a newspaper should accommodate and present a diverse range of viewpoints. It was compelling to listen to these individuals debate political or existential issues with intensity and, at times, passion, while always upholding the culture of dialogue. In an era where thoughtful discourse is often overshadowed by TikTok and online shouting matches, Yannaras might have seemed hopelessly outdated to some.
Yet, he was not. Yannaras was a deeply conservative figure, but also restless. For instance, I was consistently impressed by how fresh and forward-thinking his ideas were regarding what needed to change or be added to Kathimerini. It was never what one might expect.
I confess to being shocked by the crude and incoherent comments made by some internet trolls on social media following his death. They displayed neither respect nor understanding of his work. This is, evidently, a very bad time to die if you are a public figure of such caliber.
As we bid him farewell, I recalled some of his writings that were provocative and ruffled many feathers among politicians. The most amusing were those who had praised him before assuming positions of power, often saying, “Bravo to Yannaras, what a great pen.” Yet, once in power and criticized by him, these same individuals would question, “Why are you still keeping that Yannaras?”
This was the reason exactly: in order to challenge our thinking, occasionally provoke us, and write incisive critiques that often irritated those in power.
