April 2, 1953
EXPLOSIVE INFORMATION: There was a brazen communist outburst yesterday at 8.30 p.m. when people passing by Klafthmonos Square in central Athens were shaken by a strong blast from behind the florists’ stands, where later proclamations printed by the Communist Party were found. The proclamations were scattered about by the explosion of the metal container they were in, to which fireworks had been tied. The proclamations contained the usual communist slogans protesting the execution of Nikos Beloyiannis and a sketch of the executed traitor which the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso had drawn from photographs. YIANNIS KORDATOS: New books: «Rise and Fall of Byzantium» by Yiannis Kordatos. This new edition is a major historical study, chiefly of sociological interest, covering the foundation of the Byzantine Empire right up until the fall of Constantinople. Karavakos Publications, Athens 1953. ELLI FARANTATOU: (From a music review by Minos Dounias) «(…) Elli Farantatou’s recital of church organ music was not only artistically important but was a unique musical event for Greece. It was a rare opportunity for us to hear the masterpieces of an art that reached its heights with Bach. (…) Elli Farantatou is at the peak of her art, which is pure and absolute. Most importantly, she has created a tradition over the last number of years.»
