The Axion Esti

by Odysseus Elytis and Odysseas Elytis

Book Overview

The Axion Esti is probably the most widely read volume of verse to have appeared in Greece since World War II and remains a classic today. Those who follow the music of Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis have been especially drawn to Odysseus Elytis's work, his prose is widely considered a mirror to the revolutionary music of Theodorakis. The "autobiographical" elements are constantly colored by allusion to the history of Greece, thus, the poems...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0822953188
• ISBN13: 9780822953180
• Release Date: November 1974
• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
• Length: 104 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.1" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

...Light Life Love...

Resplendent. All that I have tried to accomplish in my writing is crystallized by this tender-voiced poet. Here, he takes the elemental power of beauty found in nature, youth and man, and restructures the reality of time. He weaves a personal mythology, integrating surrealism and Greek history. It is impossible to describe the affect and style of this work which alternates between prose, free verse and complex, metered verse. The eternal conflict and balance between Light and Dark is chronicled. Elytis speaks with a universality that transcends war and history specific to Greece--his message is applicable to all peoples and times. Moving, tragic, humorous, dark and beautiful, The Axion Esti celebrates Light, Life and Love. Stin archi to Fos kai i ora i proti, pou ta cheili akoma ston pilo dokimazoun ta pragmata tou kosmou...