Nikos Karouzos is considered one of the foremost Greek poets of the twentieth century. To mark the occasion of his birth, we take a look back at his life and poetic achievements.
Early Life:
Nikos Karouzos was born on July 17, 1926, in Nafplio.
In 1944, he completed his high school studies in Nafplio and later joined EPON Nafplio (the United Panhellenic Organisation of Youth).
In 1945, he was admitted to the Law School of Athens. Just one year later, he escaped arrest and execution by Organisation X and was exiled for five months to Ikaria.
Poetry:
In 1949, Karouzos left his studies in Law to devote himself to poetry and began collaborating with various literary magazines publishing poems and other short texts, such as Athenian Letters, Art Review, Nea Estia, Responsibility, Border and Diagonal.
Between 1954 and 1990, he published more than twenty poetry collections.
In 1961, he was awarded the 2nd State Poetry Prize and in 1962, the 1st Poetry Prize of the Group of Twelve.
Karouzos also wrote literary criticism and essays on the theatre and art.
His collected works were published between 1993 and 2002 by Ikaros in Athens: Poems I in 1993; Poems II in 1994; his Selected Prose in 1998; and Interviews with Nikos Karouzos in 2002.
Death and Legacy:
Karouzos died in Athens on September 28, 1990.
In 1993, a major Symposium on Karouzos was held at Athens University, the proceedings of which were published by Ikaros in 1996.
In 2000, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of his death, a second Symposium, again organised by Ikaros, was held there.
He left an amazing legacy of poetry behind, which many still study and analyse today to try and decipher their true meaning.
