Manolis Anagnostakis facts for kids
Manolis Anagnostakis (Greek: Μανόλης Αναγνωστάκης; born March 10, 1925 – died June 23, 2005) was an important Greek poet and writer. He was a leading figure in the poetry movements that grew during and after the Greek Civil War in the late 1940s. His work often explored ideas related to Marxism (a political and economic theory) and existentialism (a philosophy about human existence and freedom).
Anagnostakis was a key poet of his time and influenced many younger poets. His poems have received national awards in Greece. Some of his works have even been turned into songs by famous musicians. Despite his achievements, he is not as well known to English-speaking audiences compared to other major Greek poets of his generation.
Life of Manolis Anagnostakis
Anagnostakis was born in Thessaloniki, a city in Greece. He studied to become a doctor, specializing in radiology (using imaging to diagnose diseases).
During a difficult time in 1944, Anagnostakis was the main editor for Xekinima (meaning The Start), a magazine for students. His first book of poems, Epoches (Seasons), came out in 1945. At this time, his early political hopes had already changed.
His left-wing beliefs led him to join the Resistance movement. Because of this, he faced serious charges from a military court during the Civil War. In 1948, he was arrested for his involvement with the Student Movement at the University of Thessaloniki. Anagnostakis spent several years in Heptapyrgion, a state prison. His second book, Epoches 2, was published while he was in prison in 1948. The next year, he was removed from the Communist Party of Greece and tried in court. He received a death sentence, but he survived the difficult period. After he was released in 1951, he published the last book in this series.
Anagnostakis started a new set of poems with Synecheia (The Continuation) in 1954, and its next part in 1955. A collection of his works was published the following year. The poet spent 1955 and 1956 in Vienna, Austria, continuing his medical studies. He then returned to Greece. From 1959 to 1961, he was the editor of Criticism, a magazine about literary criticism (analyzing literature). He finished his Continuation series in 1962.
Even though he didn't publish many new major works until Ta piimata 1941–1971 (The Poems 1941–1971) in 1971, he kept writing for newspapers and magazines.
Anagnostakis' 1971 collection marked the end of his most famous published works. However, his poetry, which was influenced by existentialism, greatly impacted a younger group of Greek poets. This influence grew partly because his poems were set to music by Mikis Theodorakis. These songs were part of his Ballades cycle, written during the seven-year Regime of the Colonels (a military government). The Ballades have been performed by many singers, including Margarita Zorbala.
In 1978, Anagnostakis moved his medical practice and his family to Athens. In 1983, Lakis Papastathis made a 52-minute film about Anagnostakis' life for a Greek television series. Two more of Anagnostakis' books, a collection and O piitis Manussos Fassis (The Poet Manussos Fassis), were released in the next four years. Manolis Anagnostakis passed away on June 23, 2005, in Athens.
Manolis Anagnostakis' Poetry
Anagnostakis' poetry is often described as "terse," meaning short and to the point. His early poems might have a similar number of lines to those of Cavafy, another famous poet. However, Anagnostakis sometimes used single-word lines or paragraphs made of just one line.
Other features of his early poems include a "bold, conversational tone." Sometimes, they read like a letter, and other times they offer direct advice to the reader. This style, along with Anagnostakis' simple and direct way of describing a challenging world, was copied by other left-wing poets of his time.
His poetry also shows a deep doubt about the power of words themselves. This feeling was common among poets of his generation. Interestingly, Anagnostakis used Christian images in his poetry, which was unusual for poets with his political views. Also, unlike many Greek poets, he did not romanticize the sea in his works.
In the Synecheia series, written between the Civil War and the military government, Anagnostakis also showed his mixed feelings about politics. He wrote that "the War is not over yet./ For no war is ever over!" He also expressed a sense of defiance against powerful forces.
The O stochos poems were written during the military government. This work contains poems that are different from the earlier descriptions of Anagnostakis as "ambivalent" or "grim." The book includes a defense of poetry itself ("Poetics"). It also has a sarcastic response to Cavafy's poem "Young Men of Sidon (A.D. 400)," titled "Young Men of Sidon, 1970." This poem defends lightheartedness against the demand for seriousness. This work is seen as a great example of Greek poetry after the Second World War. It shows the social questions typical of poets from that time.
Some of his poems written after 1971 were even shorter than his Epoches poems, often being just epigrams (short, witty sayings). It has been hard for critics to place Anagnostakis' poetry into one specific movement. Some describe his Continuations period as "wholly political." Others divide post-war Greek poetry into Marxist, existentialist, and surrealist styles, placing Anagnostakis in the existentialist group. Some believe his poetry is not well known outside Greece because it is politically "committed," but they agree it is not influenced by surrealism.
Works
- 1945: Epoches (Seasons), Thessaloniki.
- 1948: Epoches 2 (Seasons 2), Serres.
- 1951: Epoches 3 (Seasons 3), Thessaloniki.
- 1954: Synecheia (The Continuation), Athens.
- 1955: Synecheia 2 (The Continuation 2), Athens.
- 1956: Ta piimata 1941–1956 (The Poems 1941–1956), Athens.
- 1962: Synecheia 3 (The Continuation 3), Thessaloniki.
- 1965: Yper Kai Kata (Pros and Cons), Thessaloniki.
- 1971: O stochos, Athens. English edition, 1980: The target. Selected poems, translated by Kimon Friar
- 1971: Ta piimata 1941–1971, (The Poems 1941–1971), Athens, Stigmi, 1985.
- 1972: Paréntheseis (Parentheses), Athens.
- 1978: Anti-Dogmatica (Anti-dogmatic pieces), Athens.
- 1979: To Perithorio (The Margin), Athens.
- 1983: Y.G. (P.S.), Athens.
- 1985: Ta Sympleromatika (The Complementary Pieces: Critical Notes), Athens.
- 1987: O piitis Manussos Fassis, (The Poet Manussos Fassis), Athens, Stigmi, 1987.
Awards
- 1985 Greek State Prize for poetry
- 2001 Ourani Award from the Academy of Athens
- 2002 Great National Literature Award for lifetime work
See also
In Spanish: Manolis Anagnostakis para niños
