Nikos Gatsos


Nikos Gatsos was a Greek poet, translator and lyricist.

Biography

According to Harvard University, he "had a profound influence on the post-war generation of Greek poets. Writing of both loss and hope, Gatsos’s unique blend of surrealism, symbolism and folk song created intense admiration and assured his place alongside his friends, Nobel laureates Odysseas Elytis and George Seferis, as one of the great twentieth-century Greek poets".
Nikos Gatsos was born in 1911 in Asea in Arcadia, a district of the Peloponnese, where he finished primary school. He attended high school in Tripoli, where he became acquainted with literature and foreign languages. Afterwards, he moved to Athens, where he studied literature, philosophy, and history at the University of Athens for two years only. His knowledge of English and French was quite good and he was already familiar with Kostis Palamas, Dionysios Solomos, Greek folk songs, and recent trends in European poetry. In Athens, he came in contact with the literary circles of the day becoming one of the lifelong friends of fellow poet Odysseus Elytis and published his poems, small in extent and in a classic style, in the magazines Nea Estia and Rythmos. During that period he also published criticism in Makedonikes Imeres, Rythmos, and Nea Grammata .
In 1936, he met Odysseus Elytis, and became his literary "brother" in poetry. In 1943, Aetos published his long poem Amorgos, a major contribution to contemporary Greek poetry notable especially for its combination of surrealism with traditional Greek folk poetry motifs. He subsequently published three more poems: "Elegeio" in Filologika Chronika, "The Knight and Death" , and "Song of Old Times" , dedicated to Yorgos Seferis, in the magazine Tachydromos.

After World War II, he worked with the Greek-British Review as a translator and with Ellinikí Radiofonía as a radio director. During that period he also began writing lyrics for Manos Hadjidakis. In due course, he also collaborated with Mikis Theodorakis and other notable composers. His hard and language skills were noticed by the "Art Theatre", the "Greek National Theatre" and the "Popular Theatre" of Greece, and entrusted him to translate various plays - his magnum opus was the translation in Greek of the spanish tragedy "Blood Wedding" by Federico Garcia Lorca.
He was close to Manos Hadjidakis and Nana Mouskouri. His friends included Philip Sherrard, Peter Levi, Peter Jay, and Desmond O'Grady.
He died in Athens on 12 May 1992, aged 80.

Amorgos poems

The poems in Amorgos are marked by their atmospheric qualities, as the poet seeks to capture the unique beauty and character of the island through vivid imagery and emotional depth. The collection has been praised for its poetic grandeur, as well as its ability to convey deep emotions and themes, such as love, loss, and the fragility of human existence. Gatsos' work is noted for its originality, as he pushes the boundaries of traditional poetic forms and styles. Gatsos' Amorgos is an essential work in modern Greek literature, offering readers a powerful and moving experience that showcases the beauty and complexity of human emotions.
'''From Amorgos I'''

Translations

Gatsos spent much of his effort & time in translating plays from various languages in Greek, mainly for the Greek National Theatre, the Greek Theatre of Art, and the Greek Popular Theatre. In 1944, he translated the poem "Night song" by Federico García Lorca. He also translated the following plays:
All of the plays he translated were staged at the Greek National Theatre and the Greek Theatre of Art. He associated with the magazines Nea Estia, Tram, Makedonikes Imeres, Mikro Tetradio, Nea Grammata, Filologika Chronika, and Kallitechnika Nea. In addition, he directed plays during his association with Greek radio.

Lyrics

Gatsos's work garnered international prominence. He wrote lyrics for major Greek composers, such as, Manos Hadjidakis, Mikis Theodorakis, Stavros Xarchakos, Dimos Moutsis, Loukianos Kilaidonis, and Eleni Karaindrou. He wrote lyrics for several films, including Elia Kazan's America America.

Select bibliography

The following bibliography includes Gatsos' major publications in Greek and books consisting of or including a substantial number of English translations of Gatsos' writings. The Greek text of Amorgos, Gatsos' most famous work, is not given an individual entry since it went through a number of editions in Greek, most of which are now out of print.
  • Nikos Gatsos. Theatro kai poiēsē: Phederiko Gkarthia Lorka. Hellēnikē apodosē. Ikaros 1990.
  • Nikos Gatsos. Physa aeraki, physa me mē chamēlōneis isame. prometōpida Odyssea Elytē; partitoura Manou Chatzidaki. Ikaros Ekdotikē Hetairia 1992.
  • Nikos Gatsos. Amorgos. translated by Sally Purcell.
  • Kimon Friar. Modern Greek Poetry. Athens, Edstathiadis, 1993.