{"id":31650,"date":"2024-02-07T21:30:20","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T19:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/omilo.com\/?p=31650"},"modified":"2024-02-08T16:26:55","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T14:26:55","slug":"yiannis-ritsos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/omilo.com\/de\/yiannis-ritsos\/","title":{"rendered":"Yiannis Ritsos: The Life and Work of The Great Greek Poet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yiannis Ritsos is one of the most famous and internationally acknowledged Greek poets, with many of his works having been translated and published in many languages.
\n<\/strong>He worked tirelessly and his output was enormous; he has published more than one hundred poems and poetry collections as well as some novels, plays, articles, and translations.
\n<\/strong>Today, Ritsos is considered one of the great Greek poets of the twentieth century, alongside Constantine P. Cavafy, Kostas Kariotakis, Angelos Sikelianos, Giorgos Seferis, and Odysseas Elytis. Let\u2019s have a closer look into his life and work.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

His life<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Yiannis Ritsos was born in Monemvasia in 1909. Early in his life, he experienced a lot of hardship and misfortune, which influenced his writing significantly: his wealthy family faced financial ruin during his childhood, his father suffered from mental health issues and he lost his mother and his eldest brother from tuberculosis. Ritsos himself was confined in a sanatorium for tuberculosis in Athens between 1927 and 1931.<\/p>\n

During World War II, when Greece was occupied by the Axis forces (Germany and Italy), Ritsos became a member of the EAM (National Liberation Front) and authored several poems for the Greek Resistance. Because his writing was frequently political in nature, Ritsos endured periods of persecution by the governing regime. His support of the Left in the subsequent Greek Civil War (1946-1949), resulted in him spending four years in different prison camps on the islands of Lemnos, Makronisos, and Ayios Efstratios.<\/p>\n

Moreover, in 1967, when army colonels staged a coup and established the Greek junta (also known as the Regime of the Colonels or 4th August Regime), he was once again exiled; this time to a prison camp in Gyaros, Samos and finally Lemnos. His books were banned until 1954 and again during the dictatorship. It is worth noting that Metaxas, the prime minister during the period of the Greek junta, ordered for Epitaphios<\/em> to be burned publicly at the foot of the Acropolis in Athens together with other books.<\/p>\n

Ritsos passed away on November 11, 1990,<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>His work<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Ritsos’s poetry ranges from overtly political to deeply personal. Similar to Constantine P. Cavafy<\/a>, he draws on ancient Greek myths for some of his poems, using well-known characters to communicate new ideas. It is also worth remembering that one of the key \u2018themes\u2019 that the poet keeps revisiting in his work is the notion of loneliness and isolation.<\/p>\n

Epitaphios<\/em>, published in 1936, was a turning point in his writing as it was written in a simple and unembellished language which was easy to understand for common people as well, and felt like a response to Ritsos\u2019 critics who suggested that his poetry has been „too embellished“ and overly focused on form in the past. It also kicked off his exploration of surrealism, which introduced elements of dreams, surprising association, and the use of bold imagery and symbols to his poetry.<\/p>\n

Other notable works by Ritsos include<\/p>\n

Pyramids<\/em> (1935),<\/p>\n

Vigil <\/em>(1941\u20131953),<\/p>\n

Romiosini<\/em> (1954) and<\/p>\n

18 short songs of the bitter Motherland <\/em>(18 \u03bb\u03b9\u03b1\u03bd\u03bf\u03c4\u03c1\u03ac\u03b3\u03bf\u03c5\u03b4\u03b1 \u03c4\u03b7\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b9\u03ba\u03c1\u03ae\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c4\u03c1\u03af\u03b4\u03b1\u03c2\/18 Lianotragouda Tis Pikris Patridas) (1973).<\/p>\n

In 1975 he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
\nWhen he won the Lenin Peace Prize in 1975, he was quoted as saying that \u201cthis prize is more important for me than the Nobel\u201d.<\/p>\n

He also wrote countless articles and made numerous translations of other works.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His poem Moonlight Sonata
\n<\/em>(\u0397 \u03a3\u03bf\u03bd\u03ac\u03c4\u03b1 \u03c4\u03bf\u03c5 \u03a3\u03b5\u03bb\u03b7\u03bd\u03cc\u03c6\u03c9\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Moonlight Sonata<\/em> was written and published in 1956 and marked a new stage in Ritsos‘ poetry. The poem revolves around the subject of loneliness and the alienation of the individual who cannot or does not want to commit.<\/p>\n

The scene is set in a dark, decaying mansion haunted by old memories during a spring evening. The house is full of old furniture, the plaster is coming off the walls and the floorboards are creaking; the lights are off. An old woman, dressed in black from head to toe, appears to be talking to a young man. She seems burdened by the former glory of the house and her failure to maintain it as well as the fact that her prime years are now behind her.<\/p>\n

The English version presented here is a translation by Peter Green and Beverly Bardsley<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u1f0c\u03c6\u03b7\u03c3\u03ad \u03bc\u03b5 \u03bd\u1f04\u03c1\u03b8\u03c9 \u03bc\u03b1\u03b6\u03af \u03c3\u03bf\u03c5. \u03a4\u03af \u03c6\u03b5\u03b3\u03b3\u03ac\u03c1\u03b9 \u1f00\u03c0\u03cc\u03c8\u03b5!<\/p>\n

\u0395\u1f36\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9 \u03ba\u03b1\u03bb\u03cc \u03c4\u03cc \u03c6\u03b5\u03b3\u03b3\u03ac\u03c1\u03b9, \u2014 \u03b4\u03ad \u03b8\u03ac \u03c6\u03b1\u03af\u03bd\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9<\/p>\n

\u03c0\u03bf\u03cd \u1f00\u03c3\u03c0\u03c1\u03af\u03c3\u03b1\u03bd \u03c4\u03ac \u03bc\u03b1\u03bb\u03bb\u03b9\u03ac \u03bc\u03bf\u03c5. \u03a4\u03cc \u03c6\u03b5\u03b3\u03b3\u03ac\u03c1\u03b9<\/p>\n

\u03b8\u03ac \u03ba\u03ac\u03bd\u03b5\u03b9 \u03c0\u03ac\u03bb\u03b9 \u03c7\u03c1\u03c5\u03c3\u03ac \u03c4\u03ac \u03bc\u03b1\u03bb\u03bb\u03b9\u03ac \u03bc\u03bf\u03c5. \u0394\u03ad \u03b8\u03ac \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03bb\u03ac\u03b2\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u1f0c\u03c6\u03b7\u03c3\u03ad \u03bc\u03b5 \u03bd\u1f04\u03c1\u03b8\u03c9 \u03bc\u03b1\u03b6\u03af \u03c3\u03bf\u03c5.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u1f4d\u03c4\u03b1\u03bd \u1f14\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9 \u03c6\u03b5\u03b3\u03b3\u03ac\u03c1\u03b9 \u03bc\u03b5\u03b3\u03b1\u03bb\u03ce\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5\u03bd \u03bf\u1f31 \u03c3\u03ba\u03b9\u03ad\u03c2 \u03bc\u03ad\u03c2 \u03c3\u03c4\u03cc \u03c3\u03c0\u03af\u03c4\u03b9,<\/p>\n

\u1f00\u03cc\u03c1\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1 \u03c7\u03ad\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1 \u03c4\u03c1\u03b1\u03b2\u03bf\u1fe6\u03bd \u03c4\u03af\u03c2 \u03ba\u03bf\u03c5\u03c1\u03c4\u03af\u03bd\u03b5\u03c2,<\/p>\n

\u1f15\u03bd\u03b1 \u03b4\u03ac\u03c7\u03c4\u03c5\u03bb\u03bf \u1f00\u03c7\u03bd\u03cc \u03b3\u03c1\u03ac\u03c6\u03b5\u03b9 \u03c3\u03c4\u03ae \u03c3\u03ba\u03cc\u03bd\u03b7 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03c0\u03b9\u03ac\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5<\/p>\n

\u03bb\u03b7\u03c3\u03bc\u03bf\u03bd\u03b7\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b1 \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03b9\u03b1 \u2014 \u03b4\u03ad \u03b8\u03ad\u03bb\u03c9 \u03bd\u03ac \u03c4‘ \u1f00\u03ba\u03bf\u03cd\u03c3\u03c9. \u03a3\u03ce\u03c0\u03b1.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u0398\u03ac \u03ba\u03b1\u03b8\u03ae\u03c3\u03bf\u03c5\u03bc\u03b5 \u03bb\u03af\u03b3\u03bf \u03c3\u03c4\u03cc \u03c0\u03b5\u03b6\u03bf\u03cd\u03bb\u03b9, \u03c0\u03ac\u03bd\u03c9 \u03c3\u03c4\u03cc \u1f55\u03c8\u03c9\u03bc\u03b1,<\/p>\n

\u03ba\u03b9 \u1f45\u03c0\u03c9\u03c2 \u03b8\u03ac \u03bc\u1fb6\u03c2 \u03c6\u03c5\u03c3\u03ac\u03b5\u03b9 \u1f41 \u1f00\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9\u03be\u03b9\u03ac\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u03bf\u03c2 \u1f00\u03ad\u03c1\u03b1\u03c2<\/p>\n

\u03bc\u03c0\u03bf\u03c1\u03b5\u1fd6 \u03bd\u03ac \u03c6\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6\u03bc\u03b5 \u03ba\u03b9\u03cc\u03bb\u03b1\u03c2 \u03c0\u03ce\u03c2 \u03b8\u03ac \u03c0\u03b5\u03c4\u03ac\u03be\u03bf\u03c5\u03bc\u03b5,<\/p>\n

\u03b3\u03b9\u03b1\u03c4\u03af, \u03c0\u03bf\u03bb\u03bb\u03ad\u03c2 \u03c6\u03bf\u03c1\u03ad\u03c2, \u03ba\u03b1\u03af \u03c4\u03ce\u03c1\u03b1 \u1f00\u03ba\u03cc\u03bc\u03b7, \u1f00\u03ba\u03bf\u03cd\u03c9 \u03c4\u03cc \u03b8\u03cc\u03c1\u03c5\u03b2\u03bf \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03c6\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03c4\u03b1\u03bd\u03b9\u03bf\u1fe6\u00a0\u03bc\u03bf\u03c5<\/p>\n

\u03c3\u03ac\u03bd \u03c4\u03cc \u03b8\u03cc\u03c1\u03c5\u03b2\u03bf \u03b4\u03c5\u03cc \u03b4\u03c5\u03bd\u03b1\u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03c6\u03c4\u03b5\u03c1\u1ff6\u03bd \u03c0\u03bf\u03cd \u1f00\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9\u03b3\u03bf\u03ba\u03bb\u03b5\u03af\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5\u03bd,<\/p>\n

\u03ba\u03b9 \u1f45\u03c4\u03b1\u03bd \u03ba\u03bb\u03b5\u03af\u03bd\u03b5\u03c3\u03b1\u03b9 \u03bc\u03ad\u03c3\u03b1 \u03c3‘ \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03cc\u03bd \u03c4\u03cc\u03bd \u1f26\u03c7\u03bf \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03c0\u03b5\u03c4\u03ac\u03b3\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2<\/p>\n

\u03bd\u03b9\u03ce\u03b8\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2 \u03ba\u03c1\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03c4\u03cc \u03c4\u03cc \u03bb\u03b1\u03b9\u03bc\u03cc \u03c3\u03bf\u03c5, \u03c4\u03ac \u03c0\u03bb\u03b5\u03c5\u03c1\u03ac \u03c3\u03bf\u03c5, \u03c4\u03ae \u03c3\u03ac\u03c1\u03ba\u03b1 \u03c3\u03bf\u03c5,<\/p>\n

\u03ba‘ \u1f14\u03c4\u03c3\u03b9 \u03c3\u03c6\u03b9\u03b3\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2 \u03bc\u03ad\u03c2 \u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03cd\u03c2 \u03bc\u03c5\u1ff6\u03bd\u03b5\u03c2 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03b3\u03b1\u03bb\u03ac\u03b6\u03b9\u03bf\u03c5 \u1f00\u03b3\u03ad\u03c1\u03b1,<\/p>\n

\u03bc\u03ad\u03c3\u03b1 \u03c3\u03c4\u03ac \u03c1\u03c9\u03bc\u03b1\u03bb\u03ad\u03b1 \u03bd\u03b5\u1fe6\u03c1\u03b1 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u1f55\u03c8\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2,<\/p>\n

\u03b4\u03ad\u03bd \u1f14\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9 \u03c3\u03b7\u03bc\u03b1\u03c3\u03af\u03b1 \u1f04\u03bd \u03c6\u03b5\u03cd\u03b3\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2 \u1f24 \u1f04\u03bd \u03b3\u03c5\u03c1\u03af\u03b6\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2<\/p>\n

\u03ba\u03b9 \u03bf\u1f54\u03c4\u03b5 \u1f14\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9 \u03c3\u03b7\u03bc\u03b1\u03c3\u03af\u03b1 \u03c0\u03bf\u03cd \u1f00\u03c3\u03c0\u03c1\u03af\u03c3\u03b1\u03bd \u03c4\u03ac \u03bc\u03b1\u03bb\u03bb\u03b9\u03ac \u03bc\u03bf\u03c5,<\/p>\n

(\u03b4\u03ad\u03bd \u03b5\u1f36\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6\u03c4\u03bf \u1f21 \u03bb\u03cd\u03c0\u03b7 \u03bc\u03bf\u03c5 \u2014 \u1f21 \u03bb\u03cd\u03c0\u03b7 \u03bc\u03bf\u03c5<\/p>\n

\u03b5\u1f36\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c0\u03bf\u03cd \u03b4\u03ad\u03bd \u1f00\u03c3\u03c0\u03c1\u03af\u03b6\u03b5\u03b9 \u03ba‘ \u1f21 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c1\u03b4\u03b9\u03ac \u03bc\u03bf\u03c5).<\/p>\n

\u1f0c\u03c6\u03b7\u03c3\u03ad \u03bc\u03b5 \u03bd\u1f04\u03c1\u03b8\u03c9 \u03bc\u03b1\u03b6\u03af \u03c3\u03bf\u03c5.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u03a4\u03cc \u03be\u03ad\u03c1\u03c9 \u03c0\u03ce\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u03b8\u03ad\u03bd\u03b1\u03c2 \u03bc\u03bf\u03bd\u03ac\u03c7\u03bf\u03c2 \u03c0\u03bf\u03c1\u03b5\u03cd\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c3\u03c4\u03cc\u03bd \u1f14\u03c1\u03c9\u03c4\u03b1,<\/p>\n

\u03bc\u03bf\u03bd\u03ac\u03c7\u03bf\u03c2 \u03c3\u03c4\u03ae \u03b4\u03cc\u03be\u03b1 \u03ba\u03b1\u03af \u03c3\u03c4\u03cc \u03b8\u03ac\u03bd\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf.<\/p>\n

\u03a4\u03cc \u03be\u03ad\u03c1\u03c9. \u03a4\u03cc \u03b4\u03bf\u03ba\u03af\u03bc\u03b1\u03c3\u03b1. \u0394\u03ad\u03bd \u1f60\u03c6\u03b5\u03bb\u03b5\u1fd6.<\/p>\n

\u1f0c\u03c6\u03b7\u03c3\u03ad \u03bc\u03b5 \u03bd\u1f04\u03c1\u03b8\u03c9 \u03bc\u03b1\u03b6\u03af \u03c3\u03bf\u03c5.<\/td>\n

Let me come with you. What a moon there is tonight!
\nThe moon is kind \u2013 it won\u2019t show
\nthat my hair turned white. The moon
\nwill turn my hair to gold again. You wouldn\u2019t understand.Let me come with you.When there\u2019s a moon the shadows in the house grow larger,
\ninvisible hands draw the curtains,
\na ghostly finger writes forgotten words in the dust
\non the piano \u2013 I don\u2019t want to hear them. Hush.We\u2019ll sit for a little on the low wall, up on the hill,and as the spring breeze blows around usperhaps we\u2019ll even imagine that we are flying,<\/p>\n

because, often, and now especially, I hear the sound of my own dress<\/p>\n

like the sound of two powerful wings opening and closing,<\/p>\n

you feel the tight mesh of your throat, your ribs, your flesh,<\/p>\n

and when you enclose yourself within the sound of that flight<\/p>\n

you feel the tight mesh of your throat, your birds, your flesh,<\/p>\n

and thus constricted amid the muscles of the azure air,<\/p>\n

amid the strong nerves of the heavens,<\/p>\n

it makes no difference whether you go or return<\/p>\n

and it makes no difference that my hair has turned white<\/p>\n

(that is not my sorrow \u2013 my sorrow is<\/p>\n

that my heart too does not turn white).<\/p>\n

Let me come with you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I know that each one of us travels to love alone,<\/p>\n

alone to faith and to death.<\/p>\n

I know it. I\u2019ve tried it. It doesn\u2019t help.<\/p>\n

Let me come with you.<\/td>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>How does Yiannis Ritsos relate to ‚entechno music‘?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ritsos has written countless poems, some of which have been set to music by Mikis Theodorakis. <\/strong><\/p>\n

As we can learn in the Omilo eBook about Greek entechno music<\/a>, Theodorakis was one of the \u2018fathers\u2019 of this new genre of music in Greece, which started to develop in the early 1960s and combined orchestral music and poetry for the first time.<\/p>\n

Entechno also carries some elements from ‚Greek Laika songs‘; in this way, it helped make Greek poetry accessible to people of all social classes and ages.<\/p>\n

More composers that have set music to his poems include Thanos Mikroutsikos, Christos Leontis, Marios Tokas, Manos Loizos, Mimis Plessas, etc.<\/p>\n

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do you want to learn more about Greek poetry set to music and the \u201centechno music genre\u201d?
\n<\/em>
\nWith the Omilo eBook, you will be introduced to the two well-known Greek composers.
\nAn eBook (PDF file, which you can download and print as well) in English and Greek,
\nfull of useful information, lyrics of the songs, links to the songs,
\nand extra exercises to improve your Greek.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Greek<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

+++++++++++++++++++<\/h2>\n

Are you interested to learn more about different genres in Greek music, including;<\/strong>
\ninformation about the music genres; Rembetika, Laika, Entechno
\nThen take a look at the following eBooks<\/p>\n