Life Nanos Valaoritis

1 life

1.1 years
1.2 training years
1.3 in greece

life
early years

valaoritis born greek parents in lausanne in switzerland in 1921 grew in greece studied classics , law @ athens university. writing poetry, , in 1939 when barely eighteen, saw himself published in pages of george katsimbalis’ review nea grammata alongside contributions odysseas elytis , george seferis, , taken literary circle. ominous yet heady time, months of war, during valaoritis witness seminal encounter of seferis , katsimbalis henry miller , lawrence durrell, resonate within both greek , anglo-saxon literature years come.

training years

in 1944 valaoritis escaped german-occupied greece across aegean turkey , there through middle east egypt, made contact seferis serving greek government in exile first secretary of greek legation in cairo. in 1944, @ instigation of seferis, valaoritis went london develop literary links between greece , britain. met t. s. eliot, w. h. auden, dylan thomas , stephen spender, , worked louis macneice @ bbc. studying english literature @ university of london, translated modernist greek poets, among them elytis , embirikos, , contributed cyril connolly s horizon , john lehman s new writing. own first volume of collected poems, e timoria ton magon (punishment of wizards), decorations john craxton, published in london in 1947. paved way seferis success in english-speaking world editing , translating, along durrell , bernard spencer, seferis king of asine published in 1948 enthusiastic reviews.

then in 1954 moved paris where, studying mycenaean grammar @ sorbonne, prominent among surrealist poets under andré breton, , met wife marie wilson, american surrealist painter.

back in greece

in 1960 valaoritis returned greece, , between 1963 , 1967 publisher , chief editor of greek avant-garde literary review pali. when junta came power in 1967, felt had no choice go voluntary exile, , in 1968 went america became professor of comparative literature , creative writing @ san francisco state university, position held twenty-five years.

a self-described surrealist, valaoritis creates sense of carnival in work through parody, pastiche , absurdity. bracket can misleading, surrealism alone fails convey depths of mind , richness of work. in photographs taken of valaoritis in poetry see @ once mage , pirate, or detached olympian outsider s bemusement yet man can intensely lyrical , sensual.

once again nanos valaoritis lives in greece, has co-edited literary review synteleia (end of world) , now, optimistically, successor nea synteleia (new end of world) , has published remarkable body of work, including essays, translations, anthologies , books of poetry, short stories, novella , 4 novels variously in greek, english , french. recent novel, bestselling broken arms of venus de milo (agra, athens 2002, , published in france), literary , historical romp has basis in true family story, arms of famous venus lost @ sea when french naval vessel stole statue ancestor of valaoritis, greek chief dragoman of ottoman navy. valaoritis’ anthology of modern greek poetry, co-edited thanasis maskaleris (talisman, new jersey 2003) encompassing , commanding, invaluable contribution dissemination of greek poetry throughout english-speaking world, while pan daimonium, latest volume of poetry (philos press, lacey, washington state 2005) shows him playful, wise , enigmatic ever.

in 2004 athens academy of letters , science awarded nanos valaoritis prestigious prize poetry in recognition of life s work, , president of greece presented him gold cross of honour, given services greek letters.

three of poems available on-line @ poetry journal studio[1].