Signed; Alexis Akrithakis - Πάλι (Pali) – Issue 4, 1965 | Greek Surrealist Arts Magazine | First Edition | - 1965

A very rare and historically important first edition of Πάλι (Pali), Issue 4 (Summer 1965), one of the most influential Greek avant-garde literary and arts magazines of the 1960s, with exceptional provenance.

This copy belonged to the Greek artist Alexis Akrithakis (1939–1994), who has handwritten his name on the front cover, clearly marking ownership. Additionally, on the back cover, Akrithakis has handwritten the name of Benjamin Péret (1899–1959)—the French Dadaist poet and a central founding figure of Surrealism—revealing a direct conceptual link to the international Surrealist movement that deeply influenced the magazine’s spirit and contributors.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Πάλι, ένα τετράδιο αναζητήσεων (Pali)

Issue: No. 4

Publisher & Editor: Nanos Valaoritis

Place: Athens

Year: Summer 1965

Edition: First edition

Pages: 80

Dimensions: approx. 21 × 14.5 cm

Binding: Original softcover

Cover illustration: Alfred Roller (Day and Night)

Signed/inscribed by Alexis Akrithakis (owner’s inscription)

About the Magazine

Πάλι was published in Athens between 1964 and 1966 under the direction of Nanos Valaoritis, with the collaboration of Kostas Tachtsis, Yiannis Tsarouchis, and many of the most progressive voices in Greek postwar literature and art. Only six issues were produced (with issues 2–3 published as a double issue), making original copies particularly scarce.

The magazine functioned as a meeting point between Greek and international avant-garde movements, with a strong Surrealist orientation. Its pages featured original texts, translations, drawings, and visual interventions by leading figures such as Andreas Embirikos, Nikos Engonopoulos, Alexis Akrithakis, Minos Argyrakis, Alekos Fassianos, as well as international voices including André Breton, Benjamin Péret, Allen Ginsberg, Leon Trotsky, Virginia Woolf, and Isidore Ducasse (Comte de Lautréamont).

Πάλι stood in direct opposition to academic and bourgeois literary norms, proposing a cosmopolitan, radical, and experimental discourse that redefined Greek modernism and connected it decisively to global avant-garde thought.

About Alexis Akrithakis

Alexis Akrithakis was one of the most distinctive Greek artists of the postwar era, known for his expressive drawings, paintings, and wooden constructions. During the 1970s, he collaborated extensively with Alexander Iolas, exhibiting internationally in Geneva, Milan, Turin, and Athens. Akrithakis also illustrated and contributed to publications by key Greek intellectuals, including Nanos Valaoritis, Kostas Tachtsis, and Elias Petropoulos.

His work occupies a unique position between Arte Povera, Actionism, and Surrealist automatism, making his personal ownership of this issue of Πάλι especially meaningful.

Condition

Good vintage condition with age-related wear. Original covers preserved. Please consult the photographs for a detailed impression.