Zakynthos dionysios solomos biography

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The poet often used to write verses of different poems on the same piece of paper. Only in the beginning of the 20th century was it made clear that no more manuscripts existed and that Solomos had not completed his poems. Linos Politis notes on the fragmentary nature of the Free Besieged: "He did not want or did not care to incorporate these lyrical pieces into a narrative group [...] He stuck to the pure, lyrical expression, without regard to the non-lyrical linking substance, thus advancing [...] to the conquest of a 'pure' lyrical sphere, long before his time.

This work salutes the War of Greek Independence, started in 1821, by invoking the personified image of Liberty, reborn and renewed out of "the sacred bones of the Greeks." Of particular interest to non-Greeks are references to all the great powers of the time, which include the "heartfelt joy of Washington's land" that "remembered the irons that bound her as well", and a savage dig at the Austrian Eagle "that feeds on the entrails of the Italians to grow wings and talons" and does his best to harm Liberty.

He believed the language of the people could authentically express the nation's ethos and ideals. Drachma Banknotes & Coins: 50 drachmas. Other notable poems include Ὁ Κρητικός (Τhe Cretan), Ἐλεύθεροι Πολιορκημένοι (The Free Besieged) and others. Many of the verses are saved in the form of alternative versions, often in the wrong order, some incomplete and with many gaps.

Solomos shone like the most beautiful gem of Greece's poetical crown. Dionysios was an illegitimate child, born to Nikolaos's housekeeper, Angeliki Nikli.

The Greek Parnassus does not yet have its Dante".

Solomos explained to Trikoupis that his Greek was not fluent, and Trikoupis helped him in his studies of Christopoulos' poems.

Hymn to Liberty and the poet's establishment

The first important turning point in the Greek works of Solomos was the Hymn to Liberty that was completed in May 1823-a poem inspired by the Greek revolution 1821.

Solomos was constantly editing his works and was striving towards total perfection of form, making efforts to get rid of anything excessive that destroyed their essential lyrical substance. He found himself amidst an intellectually stimulating group of writers and progressive thinkers, including Nikolaos Mantzaros, Andreas Laskaratos, and Gerasimos Markoras.

Among his most mature and renowned works from this period are "O Kritikos" ("The Cretan," 1833), "Eleftheroi Poliorkimenoi" ("The Free Besieged," 1826–1844), "Porfyras" ("The Whale," 1849), "I Farmakomeni" ("The Poisoned," 1826), "I Farmakomeni ston Adi" ("The Poisoned in Hades," 1829), and "Lampros" (1829).

Many of his works explored themes of national struggle and freedom.

Later Life and Death

After 1847, Solomos began writing in Italian again, but by this time, his health had been severely compromised.

Polylas in his "Prolegomena" stressed that the major manuscripts of the poems' final version were either lost or destroyed. Themes such as liberty, death, sacrifice, and faith are fundamental to his work.

Death and Legacy

Dionysios Solomos died on February 9, 1857, in Corfu at the age of 58. Lampros is an extreme romantic hero: he entered into a relationship with a young girl named Maria and they had four children without being married.

In 1808, Messalas sent Solomos to Italy in order to study law, as was customary with Ionian nobility, but possibly also because of Dionysios' mother's new marriage.

Young Dionysios Solomos

Studies in Italy

Solomos went to Italy with his tutor, who returned to his home town, Cremona. Solomos died in February 1857 from apoplexy.

In the mean time, he was planning other works that either remained at the preparation stage or remained as fragments, such as Nikoforos Vryennios, Eis to thanato Aimilias Rodostamo-To the death of Emilia Rodostamo, To Francisca Fraser and Carmen Seculare.

Circle of Corfu

On Corfu, Solomos soon found himself at the admirers' and poets' center of attention, a group of well educated intellectuals with liberal and progressive ideas, a deep knowledge of art and with austere artistic pretensions.

Serious health problems made their appearance in 1851 and Solomos' character became even more temperamental. O thanatos tou voskou-The shepherd's death, Evrikomi) and by early romanticism (I trelli mana-The mad mother). This resulted in the poet's fame proliferation outside the Greek borders.