Yannis Ritsos

Yannis Ritsos (May 1, 1909 - November 11, 1990) was a Greek poet. He is considered to be one of the four greatest greek poets of the century, together with Kostis Palamas, Giorgos Seferis and Odysseas Elytis. The french poet Louis Aragon once said that Ritsos is "the greatest poet of our ages". He was proposed 9 times for the Nobel Prize of Litterature, but he failed. When he won the Lenin Peace Prize he said "this prize it's more important for me than all the Nobel". His poetry was banned at times for its left wing content. Notable works by Ritsos include Tractor (1934), Pyramids (1935), Epitaph (1936), and Vigil (1941-1953).

Ritsos mainly wrote poems with political content, "serving communism with his art" as modern philologists describe. One of his few works that differ is Moonlight Sonata.

I know that each one of us travels to love alone, alone to faith and to death. I know it. I’ve tried it. It doesn’t help. Let me come with you.

—from Moonlight Sonata. Translation by Peter Green and Beverly Bardsley

Works (not complete)

Trakter (1930-1934)
Pyramides (1930-35)
Epitafios 1936 after a violent suppresion of a strike in Thessaloniki
To tragoudi tis adelfis mou (1937) after a psychical illness of his sister Loula (Dafni, like his father in 1932)
Earini symfonia (1938)
Emvatirio tou okeanou (1940)
Palia mazourka se rythmo brohis (1942)
Oi geitonies tou kosmou (1945-1947)
Kyra ton ampelion(1949-1951)
Romiosyni, published 1954
Sonata tou selinofotos (1956). National poetry prize.
Otan erhetai o xenos (1958)
To nekro spiti (1959-1962)
O toihos mesa ston kathrepti (1967-71)
Petres, epanalipseis, kigklidoma (1968-1969)
Diadromos kai skala (1970)
Dekaohto lianotragouda tis pikris patridas (1968-1970)
Gignesthai (1970-1977)
Epinikia (1977-1983)
Eikonostasio anonimon agion(1983-1986),

Links

Yannis Ritsos

Poems in Turkish/Arabic/French/German/English/Portuegese

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