Odysseus Elytis--one of the most highly regarded poets in the second half of the 20th century--was born Odysseus Alepoudhelis on Crete in 1911. His first collection of poems, 'Orientations', was published in 1939 in Greece. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1979, and continued to write and publish poetry until his death in 1996. Jeffrey Carson lives on Paros where he teaches at the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts. His most recent book is 'Poems 1974-1996'. Nikos Sarros, also a resident of Paros, is currently translating Archilochus.
"Perhaps the most pervasive presence throughout his work...is the physical experience of Greece: the sun's intense illumination, the seas strewn with jewel-like islands, the life of its proud people beneath the invasion of 20th-century culture and politics. From these Elytis crafts powerful and sparkling lyrics, sometimes bitter, often full of wonder and celebration." --'Christian Science Monitor' "Elytis is a paragon of enthusiasm, of protean moods, multiple forms; his purpose, in essence: the deification of the sun and the body of man."--'Hudson Review' "A poet of large achievement...His work...has a kind of passionate optimism about the possibilities of his small Aegean world."--'New York Review of Books' "Jeffrey Carson--a poet himself with a kindred sensibility to Elytis's--has admirably succeeded in bringing across the Greek poet's lyrical voice and the richness of his diction. This first translation of Elytis's complete works is accurate and elegant, a work of diligence and love that affords the English-speaking reader a picture of the evolution of the poet's work."--Dorothy M-T. Gregory, The Ionian University, Corfu
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