Odysseus ElytisAwards:
Nobel Prize in Literature-1979Nobel Committee
in its citation stated that the prize was given for
"his poetry, which against the
background of Greek tradition, depicts with sensuous strength and
intellectual clearsightedness modern man's struggle for freedom and
creativeness. "
Born: 02/11/1911 in Heraklion, Greece (then
in the Republic of Crete).
Died: 18/03/1996 in Athens, Greece
Citizen: Greek
Language: Greek
Elytis spent his childhood in Athens. After
completing school education, he joined Law School of University of
Athens. Law never appealed to him and he left the course halfway.
In 1935, being
motivated by the lectures of Andreas Embricos, Elytis dabbled with
painting and writing. He made fantastic collages and exhibited some of
these in International Surrealist exhibition in Athens in 1935. During
this period, his first poem collection, First Poems. was
published followed by Orientations, Hourglass of the
Unknown.
During Nazi occupation of Greece,
Elytis joined anti-fascist forces in Albania. But after the War, he
maintained a stoic silence till he wrote Axion Esti in 1959. He
stayed in Paris during 1948-52, 1969-72 and was active in the literary
circles.
Elytis was primarily a poet and
his works were largely unknown outside Greece till he was awarded the
Nobel Prize.
Notable Works:
Προσανατολισμοί -- Orientations(1936/1937),Ηλιος
ο πρώτος, παραλλαγές πάνω σε μιαν αχτίδα --
Sun The First Together With Variations on A Sunbeam (1943),Το
Άξιον Εστί -
To Axion Esti—It Is Worthy (1959) ,
Σηματολόγιον -- Signalbook(/1977),Ο
Μικρός Ναυτίλος--
The Little Mariner(1988),
Δυτικά της λύπης-- West of Sadness(/1995),--
Eros, Eros, Eros: Selected and Last Poems(/1998),
Order Odysseus Elytis's Books below
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