C. A. Trypanis
Encyclopedia
Constantine Athanasius Trypanis (22 January 1909-18 January 1993) was a Greek classicist, literary critic, translator and poet.
Born in Chios
, Greece
, Trypanis received his education at The Classical Gymnasium, Chios and the Universities of Athens
, Berlin
and Munich
. He received a doctorate from the University of Athens
in 1937. From 1939-1945 he taught at the University of Athens and, in 1947, moved to Britain
where he began teaching at Exeter College
in Oxford as the as Bywater and Sotheby professor of Byzantine and Modern Greek. It was also in England that Trypanis' met and befriended the poet Ian Fletcher, whom Trypanis afterwards referred to as "the master," with Trypanis himself "as the pupil". In 1968 Trypanis relocated to Chicago
, after acting as a visiting professor at various other American universities, where he taught Classical Literature until 1974. In 1974 he returned to his native Greece, serving as Minister for Culture and Sciences until 1977. He remained in Greece until his death, at age 83, in 1993.
Though his poetry has since fallen into obscurity, his writings received some critical acclaim in his time, with two of his collections, The Stones of Troy and The Cocks of Hades receiving, respectively, the choice of the Poetry Book Society and the Heinemann Award of the Royal Society of Literature of Great Britain. His poetry was also acclaimed by the likes of Theodore Roethke
, W. H. Auden
and John Wain
.. His poetry was first published while he was living in England, and it was also while in England that he began to develop a poetic circle of his own; he wrote his poetry (at least that portion which was published) in English, his second language, which perhaps opens the door to comparisons to the likes of Joseph Conrad
and Vladimir Nabokov
, both of whom wrote in English, despite being native speakers of Polish and Russian, respectively. Much of Trypanis' poetic writings were centered around the artifacts, history and mythology of antiquity, especially that of Classical Greece and Rome, though others of his poems centered around aspects and events of his contemporary world.
Born in Chios
Chios
Chios is the fifth largest of the Greek islands, situated in the Aegean Sea, seven kilometres off the Asia Minor coast. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. The island is noted for its strong merchant shipping community, its unique mastic gum and its medieval villages...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Trypanis received his education at The Classical Gymnasium, Chios and the Universities of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. He received a doctorate from the University of Athens
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , usually referred to simply as the University of Athens, is the oldest university in Southeast Europe and has been in continuous operation since its establishment in 1837. Today, it is the second-largest institution of higher learning in Greece,...
in 1937. From 1939-1945 he taught at the University of Athens and, in 1947, moved to Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
where he began teaching at Exeter College
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
in Oxford as the as Bywater and Sotheby professor of Byzantine and Modern Greek. It was also in England that Trypanis' met and befriended the poet Ian Fletcher, whom Trypanis afterwards referred to as "the master," with Trypanis himself "as the pupil". In 1968 Trypanis relocated to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, after acting as a visiting professor at various other American universities, where he taught Classical Literature until 1974. In 1974 he returned to his native Greece, serving as Minister for Culture and Sciences until 1977. He remained in Greece until his death, at age 83, in 1993.
Though his poetry has since fallen into obscurity, his writings received some critical acclaim in his time, with two of his collections, The Stones of Troy and The Cocks of Hades receiving, respectively, the choice of the Poetry Book Society and the Heinemann Award of the Royal Society of Literature of Great Britain. His poetry was also acclaimed by the likes of Theodore Roethke
Theodore Roethke
Theodore Roethke was an American poet, who published several volumes of poetry characterized by its rhythm, rhyming, and natural imagery. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1954 for his book, The Waking.-Biography:...
, W. H. Auden
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden , who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in See also...
and John Wain
John Wain
John Barrington Wain was an English poet, novelist, and critic, associated with the literary group "The Movement". For most of his life, Wain worked as a freelance journalist and author, writing and reviewing for newspapers and the radio. He seems to have married in 1947, since C. S...
.. His poetry was first published while he was living in England, and it was also while in England that he began to develop a poetic circle of his own; he wrote his poetry (at least that portion which was published) in English, his second language, which perhaps opens the door to comparisons to the likes of Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad was a Polish-born English novelist.Conrad is regarded as one of the great novelists in English, although he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties...
and Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
, both of whom wrote in English, despite being native speakers of Polish and Russian, respectively. Much of Trypanis' poetic writings were centered around the artifacts, history and mythology of antiquity, especially that of Classical Greece and Rome, though others of his poems centered around aspects and events of his contemporary world.
Poetry Collections
- Pedasus: Twenty-four Poems (1955) (Limited to 150 copies)
- The Stones of Troy (1957)
- The Cocks of Hades (1958)
- Pompeian Dog (1964)
- Groves in the Wind (1964) (Reprints selections from The Stones of Troy and The Cocks of Hades, and one new poem)
- The Elegies of a Glass Adonis (1967) (Limited to 450 numbered copies, each signed by Trypanis)
- The Glass Adonis (1972) (Includes the contents of Elegies of a Glass Adonis)
Translations
- Fourteen Early Byzantine Cantica (1968)
- Callimachus, Aetia, Iambi, lyric poems, Hecale, minor epic and elegiac poems, and other fragments (1975).
- Sophocles, the Three Theban Plays (1986)
Criticism
- Medieval and Modern Greek Poetry (1951)
- Romanus, Sancti Romani Melodi (1963) (Editor)
- Romanus, Cantica (1963-1970) (Editor)
- The Penguin Book of Greek Verse (1971) (Editor)
- The Homeric Epics (1977)
- Greek Poetry, from Homer to Seferis (1981)
Further reading
- Trypanis, Constantine Athanasius, and Mackridge, Peter A., et al., Ancient Greek Myth in Modern Greek Poetry: Essays in Memory of C.A. Trypanis, Routledge, 1996. ISBN 0714647519
- Levi, Peter, obituary, The Independent, 21 January 1993.