Elytis, Odysseus, << EHL ee tees, oh DIHS ee uhs >> (1911-1996), a Greek poet, won the 1979 Nobel Prize for literature. Elytis has been praised for his mastery of the Greek language, both classical and modern. The landscape and literary tradition of the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea influenced his work. His poetry also deals with Greece’s modern history, especially the country’s occupation by Germany during World War II (1939-1945) and the Greek civil war (1946-1949). These themes dominate his best-known work, the monumental To Axion Esti (1959).
Elytis was born in Iraklion on the island of Crete. His real name was Odysseus Alepoudhelis. The French Surrealists influenced his early poetry, written in the 1930’s. A selection of this verse was collected in Orientations (1939). His most fruitful period was the 1950’s, climaxed by To Axion Esti. This long composition features Greek Orthodox religious forms, including odes, Gospel readings, and the Mass. Elytis’s later poetry was collected in Monogramma (1972), Maria Nefele (1978), and The Little Mariner (1986). His many critical essays were published in The Open Book (1975) and other collections.
