Εισήγηση στο πλάισιο του διεθνούς συνεδρίου Humor Against Authoritarianism: Memory, Resistance, and Democracy in Europe, που διοργάνωση το Πάντειο Πανεπιστήμιο 25 και 26 Φεβρουαρίου 2026.
Humor realizes its full potential as a vehicle of confrontation between the humorist and the status quo, which is quite often authoritarian. Humorists act in the name of the community or society to which they belong and with which they communicate. The topic is relevant to the sociology of communication and culture as well as political sociology. Moreover, we should not forget that humor, jokes, and the comical are merely triggering causes of laughter—of subversive laughter. They are not deeper causes, merely causes that provoke laughter, although the phenomenon is ultimately far more complex. Herewith, Ι propose to review one of the seminal comedians during “metapolitefsi,” the political transition from military junta to parliamentary democracy in Greece: Vasilis Triantafyllidis, popularly known as Harry Klynn. I will attempt a concise examination of his era and his work. His highly interesting satirical, comical, and humorous personality, in my view, left an indelible mark during the period of political transition. Given the breadth of his work, I will review only three-plus-one of his LP records: Patates, Ethnos Anadelphon, and Rantevou me tin Eisangelia. Patates (“potatoes”) criticizes authoritarian elements that attempted to sabotage the political transition to parliamentary democracy. Ethnos Anadelphon (“nation without siblings”) is a direct reference to a phrase used by the President of the Republic,
Christos Sartzetakis; it satirizes—with caustic humor—the period amidst the political transition. Rantevou me tin Eisangelia (“rendezvous with the prosecutor”) satirizes a highly tumultuous period of Greek political life. Trampakoulas, Harry Klynn’s fictional character, is the quintessential hillbilly who, while apparently uneducated and ignorant, employs sharp judgment to deconstruct the hypocrisy of the political and social life during the political transition. I conclude with a brief examination of Harry Klynn’s 1982 LP record that pays artistic homage to the great satirist Georgios Souris, who was active approximately a century ago. The combination of Souri’s literary humor and Harry Klynn’s speech and song performance is truly unique. Obviously, Vasilis Triantafyllidis has left a significant legacy of political and social satire, domestically and internationally, consisting of numerous LP records and many years of live satirical performance bearing his distinct personal imprint.
Διαβάστε τα πρακτικά του συνεδρίου : https://www.panteion.gr/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Mentor-Abstract-booklet-final.pdf