WITH THE PUBLICATION of Autograph Works, a request made for the first time twenty-five years ago is fulfilled. In my article "On the Publication of Solomos" (Nea Estia 23 [1938] 731 et seq. - reprinted in Gy. Sol. 9-36), I argued for the reasons why a "critical" edition of his work cannot be produced, as it was then requested from multiple sides, and why what should be done is a "faithful" or "manuscript" edition, which would give us Solomos' autographs as they are and are found, without any intervention, critique or otherwise, from us.

As long as he was alive, Solomos published very little, and in what he wrote, especially in his major works of the mature period, he never gave a definitive and complete form.

Tormented by the search for perfect expression, he often rewrote his verses, expressing the same poetic idea in numerous "variations," crossing out, adding, removing, without ultimately being satisfied. His manuscripts, with countless erasures, additions, Italian sketches, and reflections interspersed, along with many other notes, vividly show this exhausting elaboration, from which the final synthesis is absent.

After Solomos' death, Polyclas, who had undertaken to publish his estate, faced a major issue when confronted with the manuscripts; how to publish these works with their unmistakable fragmentary character, which the creator himself had not given a final form. We owe him great gratitude for setting aside his doubts and proceeding with the most appropriate solution at that time, which resulted in the publication of "The Fragments" (1859).

However, even Polyclas himself, many years later, judging by the perspective of the passing time, attempted, in collaboration with Georgios Kalospouros, to produce a new edition that would delve deeper into the manuscripts. Unfortunately, his death (1896) prevented this edition from being published.

The edition currently being produced disassembles the synthesis Polyclas made and presents us with the notebooks and loose sheets as they came from the poet's hand, with all the erasures, additions, and notes. It offers not only a wealth of new, unpublished lines and variations, notes, etc., but also places each line, each fragment in its proper place, thus enabling connections, dating, comments.

The study of Solomos' work from now on will be possible on a solid foundation. Through this edition, I believe a positive contribution is made to a deeper knowledge of Solomos' work and a more accurate assessment of his personality.