-
His birth
Odysseas Elytis was the
pen-name for Odysseas
Alepoudelis. He was born
in Herakleion, Crete in
1911. -
His studies
In 1914, his family, which originally came
from Lesvos, moved to Athens, where Elytis began
to study law after leaving school. -
Period: to
His life in Athens
He broke off his
studies and devoted himself entirely to his literary
and artistic interests. He got to know the poet
Andreas Embirikos, who became his lifelong friend.
As time went by, he was inspired by Embirikos and
the Greek-Byzantine cultural tradition. -
His first poem
In 1935, he
published his first poems in the magazine ‘Nea
Grammata’. He also took part in the first
international Surrealist exhibition arranged that year
in Athens. -
His greatest work
The poetic cycle ‘To Axion Esti’, which began in
1948 but did not appear until 1959, is recognised
as Elytis’s greatest work. It has been translated into
several languages. -
National prize in poetry
In 1960 was awarded the
National Prize in Poetry. -
'To Axion Esti' was set to music
It was set to music by
Mikis Theodorakis in 1964. -
Nobel Prize
Odysseas Elytis was awarded the Nobel Prize for
Literature. -
His death
He died in 1996.