num_pages: 207
description: Yannis Ritsos was born in Monembasia in 1909. His frstcollection of verse, Trakter (Tractors, 1934) brought him to theforefront of the new poetic movement in Greece of the1930s. He has published about forty volumes of verse ofwhich the best known are: Epitaphios (1936; parts of whichhave been set to music by M. Theodorakis); To Tragoudi TisAdels Mou (My Sister's Song, 1937); Earini Symfnia(Summer Symphony, 1938); Dokimasia (Trial, 1943); Ydria(Pitcher, 1957); To Dentro Tis Fylakis Kai I Gynaikes (ThePrison Tree and the Women, 1963). Ritsos's poetry is intenselylyrical and is often coloured by his left-wing sympathies. Heblends moder poetic techniques and conceptions withtraditional diction and forms successfully. He was arrestedduring the military coup of April 1967 and deported to anisland prison. Since 1967 he has continued his extraordinarilyprolifc output, and has completed at least six new collectionsof poems which were only recently allowed to be publishedunder the present regime in Greece. Selections of his poetryhave appeared in translation throughout the world, particularly inall East European countries and in Germany, Spain, Italy, France,Switzerland, Sweden and the United States.Yarmis Ritsos has received a great number of interationaldistinctions, the most recent of which were the InterationalPrize for Poetry, awarded in Belgium in 1972, and hiselection as member of the Academy of Sciences andLiterature ofWest Germany
language: English
title: Selected Poems
titlecomplete: Selected Poems
genres: Poetry, Greece, 20th Century
ratings_count: 186
publisher: Penguin