Yannis Kondos
Encyclopedia
Yannis Kondos (b. Aigio
1943) is an award winning Greek
poet
. He read Economics
at the University of Piraeus
(then Higher School for Industrial Studies). He founded the bookshop Ηνίοχος in 1971, along with Thanassis Niarchos. Since 1975, he has been working for Kedros publishers. He has also been professor of poetry
for Kostas Kazakos
' School of Dramatic Art.
He belongs to the so-called Genia tou 70, which is a literary term referring to Greek
authors who began publishing their work during the 1970s, especially towards the end of the Greek military junta of 1967-1974
and at the first years of the Metapolitefsi
.
He was awarded the State Prize for Poetry for his collection, Absurd Athlete in 1998. His work has been translated into English
, German
and Danish
.
Aigio
Aigio is a town and a former municipality in Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Aigialeia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. Its population is around 30,000. Aigio is surrounded by trees in the north and cliffs in the...
1943) is an award winning Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
. He read Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at the University of Piraeus
University of Piraeus
The University of Piraeus is a university located in Piraeus, Greece with a total of nine academic departments focused mainly on economics, business management and information technology. It is currently one of the leading academic institutions in the country...
(then Higher School for Industrial Studies). He founded the bookshop Ηνίοχος in 1971, along with Thanassis Niarchos. Since 1975, he has been working for Kedros publishers. He has also been professor of poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
for Kostas Kazakos
Kostas Kazakos
Kostas Kazakos is a Greek actor, director, and politician.He was married to the famous actress Tzeni Karezi with whom he has a son...
' School of Dramatic Art.
He belongs to the so-called Genia tou 70, which is a literary term referring to Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
authors who began publishing their work during the 1970s, especially towards the end of the Greek military junta of 1967-1974
Greek military junta of 1967-1974
The Greek military junta of 1967–1974, alternatively "The Regime of the Colonels" , or in Greece "The Junta", and "The Seven Years" are terms used to refer to a series of right-wing military governments that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974...
and at the first years of the Metapolitefsi
Metapolitefsi
The Metapolitefsi was a period in Greek history after the fall of the Greek military junta of 1967–1974 that includes the transitional period from the fall of the dictatorship to the Greek legislative elections of 1974 and the democratic period immediately after these elections.The long...
.
He was awarded the State Prize for Poetry for his collection, Absurd Athlete in 1998. His work has been translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
.
Poetry
- Περιμετρική (Circular Route), 1970
- Το χρονόμετρο (The Chronometer) , 1972
- Τα απρόοπτα (The Unforeseen), 1975
- Φωτοτυπίες (Photocopies), 1977
- Danger in the Streets, tr. J. Stathatos (1978) [English translations of selected poems]
- Στη διάλεκτο της ερήμου (In the Dialect of the Desert), 1980
- Τα οστά (The Bones), 1982
- The Bones: selected poems 1972-1982, tr. J. Stone (1985)
- Ανωνύμου μοναχού (By an Anonymous Monk), 1985
- Δωρεάν σκοτάδι (Gratuitous Darkness), 1989
- Στο γύρισμα της μέρας (At the Turn of Day), 1992
- Όταν πάνω από την πόλη ακούγεται ένα τύμπανο (When a Drum is Heard over the City), selection, 1992
- Ο αθλητής του τίποτα (Absurd Athlet), 1997
- Πρόκες στα σύννεφα (Pins in the Clouds), 1999
- Η υποτείνουσα της σελήνης (The Moon's Hypotenuse), 2002
- Δευτερόλεπτα του φόβου (Seconds of Fear), 2006
Prose
- Τα ευγενή μέταλλα (The Noble Metals), 1994
- Αριστείδης, ο μικρός ιπποπόταμος (Aristeides, the Little Hippopotamus), for children, 2001
- Τα Χριστούγεννα έρχονται (Christmas is coming), 2004
- Τα ευγενή μέταλλα ΙΙ (The Noble Metals II), 2005
External links
- His entry for the 2001 Frankfurt Book Fair (Greek)
- His page at the website of the Hellenic Authors' Society (Greek) and (English)
- A blog dedicated to his poetry
- His books at Kedros publishers
- Audio: Bronze Age by Yannis Kondos (English translation and reading by Peter ConstantinePeter ConstantinePeter Constantine is a British and American award-winning literary translator who has translated literary works from German, Russian, French, Modern Greek, Ancient Greek, Italian, Albanian, Dutch, and Slovene.-Biography:...
)