cultura@eluniversal.com.mx
In May 2006, the Greek photographer Dimitris Yeros knocked on the door of the house of writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez in Mexico City. This first visit became one of the most memorable friendships Greek photographer, and a series of portraits in the depths of space emerged Nobel laureate.
Over the following years, García Márquez Yeros visited in Mexico and Colombia. Some photographs in his book Gabriel García Márquez -available in the German market, Amazon, and that in June will go circulation in the United States will be published Sunday in the cultural supplement Confabulario . In an interview with THE UNIVERSAL , Yaros shared his experience as a photographer of the famous author.
García Márquez put some kind of border between you and these spaces more intimate?
The good faith with which he greeted me on the first visit and friendliness never changed. I think my Greek origin played an important part. Latin Americans love the Greeks, just realize the amount of the streets of Mexico with Greek names. In addition, all writers have grown from their knowledge of art and the great writers of ancient Greece. There’s instinct and faith. The first time I read Gabo was sure that someday I was going to meet.
Something we should also take into account is that he was a great lover of the arts. You can not imagine the pleasure he gave when I presented him in Cartagena a painting he had asked me. Should I attribute this to the magical atmosphere and sense of unreality that distinguish my paintings, elements of great importance in his books. Also agradaban photos that made him because they never were unfavorable. Your photo is one that appears standing in the middle of the street holding an umbrella.
On my first visit my goal was to photograph to illustrate the poem “Ithaca” for a book of photographs inspired by the poems of Cavafy. When we were on his 80th birthday in Cartagena, I began to think I could do a whole book about it and photograph some of her-definitely more private spaces, its recámara-. He was sure that would not deny me. Unfortunately, for our third shoot it began to show clear signs of his illness, so his schedule, appointments and public appearances the deciding began his inner circle. Therefore, even though he had agreed to my book’s photographic series, they found various excuses to avoid another meeting not to display his poor health.
When he died, I contacted their children and asked if he could visit his house to photograph the room, glasses and typewriter, his wife in the garden, but they said they were not ready for that. Soon I learned from the press that the typewriter and other personal items had sold to the University of Texas even before the death of Gabo.
What were the details of that conversation? Did you discuss Greek literature, Latin American painting?
We talk a lot about literature and politics, which interested him enough. He liked the work of two Greeks who had also received the Nobel -Odysséas Elytis and Yorgos Seferis- Award. He loved the Greek tragic poets and their moments of rest read Homer. He told me he had visited Greece four times, one side of Álvaro Mutis when the children of both were still children. He worried the American way of life , how this way of life had infiltrated the authenticity and the characteristics of people in Latin America, as had happened in the Balkans, where Greece is more power and a culture that has played a central role. We also talked about film, another of his loves. He had met at least three Greek cinema celebrities, including actress Irene Pappas, who had starred in a movie with original story by Gabo, film director Costa-Gavras Constantinos; and in Paris, my dear friend Michael Cocayannis, whom he greatly admired the way they used to light their scenes. I had the impression that was very close to Irene Pappas for some time. Unfortunately, although I know it well, I have no chance to ask him about his friendship because she suffers from Alzheimer’s.
You have compared to Ulises García Márquez. He has been called a modern Ulysses. Why?
Ulysses was a brave, intelligent, imposing figure. As Gabo, had a legendary personality. He was also an adventurer. He spent ten years away from home fighting for a woman in Troy and took another ten years to return to his wife faithful, more or less the same time it took to Gabo returning permanently to his wife. Clear that Ulysses was a very clever and full of trickery character. But I chose to illustrate Gabo Cavafy’s poem because I wanted to emphasize the long journey and adventure of the great experiences that the Greek king had in his travel-experiences which were very useful and crucial in Gabo took inspiration for his books.
García Márquez’s family knows the book? What opinion has received from family?
Originally I had a complete opening to the book, I planned even add many more photos of Gabo really friends with the things he loved. Unfortunately the circumstances just described would not allow it. I tried to add pictures with Carlos Fuentes, who even requested that I write a text on the work of Gabo. I also wanted to record and publish a conversation between them, but as you know, Carlos was the first who died unexpectedly. I also wanted to post a few pages of the novel that Gabo was writing at the time. We wanted to photograph next to his wife, Mercedes, and also next to their children. Even I asked Shakira to write a short text for inclusion in the book, in a sort of reward for what Gabo had written about it in the newspaper The Guardian , a gesture that the singer (Colombian ) has not responded in return!
I faced some difficulties in gathering all this in the book, and family, he was fully aware of this, he did not cooperate for this purpose. The literary agent García Márquez was also well aware and excited about the book, I even had the approval of the family, however in the end the project was not able to find a publisher to publish it.
This book is currently available in the publishing market in Germany. Why only in that country? Will you seek distribution in Latin America and in Spain?
I have contacted some US publishers, Mexico and Colombia. Most told me that the book is very interesting, very poetic, very helpful and with a beautiful design, but they can not post! In the Mexican and Colombian market I’ve only received two negative responses, and finally came to an agreement with a German publisher. The book is aimed at the international market, so it is the same in English and currently has an international distribution. In the United States will go on sale in June, and I think the editor, which is based in New York, sent some copies to the Latin American market. Until then, you can get copies by Kerber Verlag or amazon.co.uk .
It is very unfortunate that even though many liked them, could not find an interested publisher in Latin America.
We have shared some pieces of his photographic work on García Márquez and some other artists like Carlos Fuentes, Álvaro Mutis, Elena Poniatowska, among others. Beyond his portrait work, tell us of his complete works.
First of all I am a painter. I am one of the pioneers in Greece and one of the first who ventured here in the performance and video art. Therefore, about 1975, I included my work photography for performing photo-series having surrealist elements. I also read a lot, and apart from my friends in the art world, I have many friends in literary circles. I have photographed many of them and I think everyone together on a book with his portraits.
However, my photographic work is known that they appear naked boys and girls side of animals in unusual landscapes. I created photographs of this type for about 20 years, and have been exhibited in many galleries and museums.
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