Kleitos Kyrou facts for kids
Kleitos-Dimitrios Kyrou (Greek: Κλείτος-Δημήτριος Κύρου; born August 13, 1921 – died April 10, 2006) was an important Greek poet and translator. He was born in Thessaloniki, a big city in Greece. He is known for his beautiful poems and for translating many famous works into Greek.
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Early Life and Education
Kleitos-Dimitrios Kyrou went to Anatolia College for his studies. Later, in 1939, he started studying at the Law School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. This was a big step in his education.
His Career
From 1951 to 1983, Kyrou worked in banking. This was his main job for many years. He also had a special role as the General Secretary of the National Theatre of Northern Greece between 1974 and 1976. This shows his connection to the arts.
Becoming a Writer
Kyrou started his writing journey in 1944. He first published his work in a student magazine called Beginning. At first, he mainly translated poems from other languages, especially English.
His very first poem was called Expectation. It was published in a magazine in Thessaloniki in 1945. In 1949, he published his first book of poems. It was titled Pursuit, Recollections from a doubtful era.
He worked with many different magazines over the years. Some of these were Beginning, Student, Free Letters, and New Course. His complete collection of poems, covering his work from 1943 to 1997, was published in a book called In whole, 1943–1997 Harvest.
Awards and Recognition
Kleitos-Dimitrios Kyrou received several important awards for his writing and translations.
- In 1988, he was offered the Second State Award for Poetry for his book The birds and the awakening. However, he chose not to accept this award.
- In 1992, he was honored by the Greek Society of Literary Translators. This was for his excellent translation of Christopher Marlowe's play, Doctor Faustus.
- He received the First State Award for Translation in 1994. This award was for his translation of Percy Bysshe Shelley's play, The Cenci.
- In 2005, the Academy of Athens gave him the Kostas and Eleni Ourani Award. This was a very special award for all his poetry work throughout his life.
His poems were so good that they were translated into many languages. These included English, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Polish, Bulgarian, and Arabic.
His Family
Kleitos-Dimitrios Kyrou married Philio Angelidou in 1969. They had two children: a daughter named Eleni, born in 1970, and a son named Giorgos, born in 1971.
Later Years
Kleitos-Dimitrios Kyrou passed away on April 10, 2006, at his home. He left behind a rich collection of poems and translations that continue to be enjoyed.
