Miltos Sachtouris or Miltos Sahtouris ( el, Μίλτος Σαχτούρης: July 19, 1919,
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
– March 29, 2005, Athens) was a Greek poet. He was a descendant of
Georgios Sachtouris, whose origins were the Island of Ydra. When he was young he abandoned his law studies to follow his real passion, poetry, adopting the
pen name
A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen na ...
Miltos Chrysanthis. Sachtouris wrote his first poem, ''The Music Of My Islands'', under his pen name in 1941.
Poetry
Sachtouris met
Nikos Engonopoulos
Nikos Egonopoulos ( el, Νίκος Εγγονόπουλος; October 21, 1907 – October 31, 1985) was a Greek painter and poet. He is one of the most important members of "Generation of the '30s",Eleni Kefala''Peripheral (Post) Modernity'' ...
in 1943. He later worked with Engonopoulos on ''Ikaros''. He began works and continued to pass time at the ''Brazilian'' on
Voukourestiou Street
Voukourestiou Street (Greek: Οδός Βουκουρεστίου, ''Odos Voukourestiou'') named after the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest, which ended the Second Balkan War, is a rather narrow street in the Kolonaki district of Athens known for its h ...
along with
Elytis,
Sinopoulos,
Vakalo,
Papaditsas,
Karouzos and others. In 1960, he published ''When I Talk to you'' and ''The Spectres, or Joy on the Other Street''. Two years later, he received the
Second State Poet Prize in 1962 for ''The Stigmata''. He later wrote ''The Seal, or The Eighth Moon'' (1964) and ''The Utensil'' (1971) from the publishings of ''
Keimena''.
Personal life
He had a long term relationship since 1960 until his death with the artist
Gianna Persaki. Gianna Persaki was the creative director in most of his publications after 1960 and he dedicated to her, among many collections, "Skevos" 1971
and several poems including "The Clocks Turned Upside Down".
In 2003
Gianna Persaki received the Greek State Prize of Literature on his behalf, a prize that was awarded by the Greek Ministry of Culture and the President of the Hellenic Republic. Accordingly, upon receipt of the award she made a public speech where she also quoted: "
Nikos Karouzos Nikos Karouzos ( el, Νίκος Καρούζος) was a Greek modernist poet. He was born in Nafplion on 17 July 1926 and died in Athens on 28 September 1990.
He published his first poems in 1949. He also wrote literary criticism and essays on the ...
is saying that life is a garden which fades away, and Sachtouris is saying life is a short violet".
Last years and death
During his last years of his life he worked on ''Colorwounds'' (1980), ''Ectoplasms'' (1986), ''Sinking'' (1990), ''Since'' (1996) and ''The Clocks Turned Upside Down'' (1998). He received the
Grand State Literature Prize in 2003 for his works. In 1992 the writer shot a documentary titled ''
Who's the Crazy Hare'' (''The Crazy Hare'' being one of the poet's most known poems) about Sachtouris at the poet's house, in Kypseli, Athens. That day Lefteris Xanthopoulos asked him who is the Crazy Hare and the poet responded "I am".
The poet died at the age of 85 in Athens on the morning of Tuesday, March 29, 2005 and was buried at the First ('A') Cemetery of Athens. Upon his death the Prime Minister of Greece at that time,
Kostas Karamanlis
Konstantinos A. Karamanlis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Αλεξάνδρου Καραμανλής; born 14 September 1956), commonly known as Kostas Karamanlis ( el, Κώστας Καραμανλής, ), is a Greek politician who served as the ...
stated: "Miltos Sachtouris was one of the leading poets of Greece and one of the last representatives of a very important era for the Greek poetry. His writing and his constant search of freedom in art and life, accompanied a whole era of adventures and challenges. His work will survive the time. I express my condolences to all of his relatives and close persons". Following that,
George Papandreou
George Andreas Papandreou ( el, Γεώργιος Ανδρέας Παπανδρέου, , shortened to ''Giorgos'' () to distinguish him from his grandfather; born 16 June 1952) is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece from ...
the leader of the opposition at that time and a former prime minister of Greece stated: "Miltos Sachtouris was one of the greatest Poets of Modern Greece. He served the Greek letters with loyalty, elegance and moral. The global message deriving from his poems is colourful, strong, alive and it is going to thrive and survive throughout the years as our inheritance. I express my sincere condolences to all his relatives and friends".
Karolos Papoulias
Karolos Papoulias ( el, Κάρολος Παπούλιας ; 4 June 1929 – 26 December 2021) was a Greek politician who served as the president of Greece from 2005 to 2015.
A member of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), he previously ...
the President of the Hellenic Republic, expressed his condolences about the death of Miltos Sachtouris by saying: "Miltos Sachtouris is the poet who opened and lifted the horizons with his global recognition as a Greek poet".
Translations
His work has been translated and published in several languages including English, French, German, Russian, Polish, Italian, Spanish, Dutch.
[''Paraskinio'': "Miltos Sachtouris" (documentary)] There are some translations of his work in English including ''The Forgotten Woman''.
Works
* The Music of my Islands (''Η Μουσική των Νησιών μου'', 1941)
* Christmas '43 (''Χριστούγεννα '43'', 1944)
* The Forgotten Woman (''Η Λησμονημένη'', 1945)
* The Heroine (''Η Ηρωίδα'', 1947)
* The Wounded Woman (''Η Πληγωμένη'', 1947)
* Death (''Ο Θάνατος'', 1947)
* The Battle (''Η Μάχη'', 1947)
* Paralogias (''Παραλογαίς'', 1948)
* With the Face on the Wall (''Με το Πρόσωπο στον Τοίχο'', 1952)
* When I Talk to you (''Όταν σας Μιλώ'', 1956)
* The Spectres, or Joy on the Other Street (''Τα Φάσματα, η Η Χαρά στον Άλλο Δρόμο'', 1958)
* The Walk (''Ο Περίπατος'', 1960)
* The Stigmata (''Τα Στίγματα'', 1962)
* The Seal, or The Eighth Moon (''Σφραγίδα, ή Η Όγδοη Σελήνη'', 1964)
* The Utensil (''Το Σκεύος'', 1971)
* Poems 1945-1981 (''Ποιήματα 1945-1981'', 1977)
* Colorwounds (''Χρωμοτραύματα'', 1980)
* Ectoplasms (''Εκτοπλάσματα'', 1986)
* Sinking (''Καταβύθιση'', 1990)
* Since (''Έκτοτε'', 1996)
* Voice from the Other Shore (''Φωνή απ' την Άλλη Ακρογυαλιά'', 1997)
* The Clocks Turned Upside Down (''Ανάποδα Γυρίσαν τα Ρολόγια'', 1998)
* Poems 1980-1998 (''Ποιήματα 1980-1998'', 2002)
* "Diavazo" lit. magazine (''λογ. περιοδικό "Διαβάζω"'', January 2003)
Translations
* ''Selected Poems'', tr. K. Friar (1982)
Notes
References
* Olga Sella - ''Σώπασε ο άνεμος του Σαχτούρη'' (an article o
''Kathimerini'' March 30, 2005).
*Klironomos Poulion - Sachtouris Documentary TV Show
*Stavros Diouskouridis - "One life Gianna Persaki" (an article of Lifo Magazine
Γιάννα Περσάκη: «αυτό που λένε νεκρή φύση εγώ ποτέ δεν το κατάλαβα» , LiFO 2 February 2008).
*News DOL - "Miltos Sachtouris passed away at the age of 85" (an article o
Πέθανε σε ηλικία 85 ετών ο ποιητής Μίλτος Σαχτούρης March 30, 2005).
External links
Early Uncollected Poems (Greek)ArtoposMiltos Sachtouris @ poetryinternationalweb.orgIntroduction to Miltos Sachtouris poeticsMILTOS SACHTOURIS, Distinguished poet dies at 86, to be buried in Athens on Friday(Dutch)
(Dutch)
(Spanish)
Uncollected poems (Greek)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sachtouris, Miltos
Modern Greek poets
1919 births
2005 deaths
20th-century Greek poets